Striking Hollywood actors won’t be picketing on Friday after their union called off protests citing “potential safety concerns,” apparently due to Hamas declaring a “Day of Jihad,” or holy war, around the world.
SAG-AFTRA leaders issued a statement telling members to “stay safe,” but didn’t explicitly mention the “Day of Jihad.”
In reporting the news, Variety used a euphemism, claiming “Hamas has called for worldwide pro-Palestine demonstrations on Friday.”
In light of potential safety concerns that are unrelated to our ongoing strike, there will be no SAG-AFTRA pickets in New York City or Los Angeles on Friday, Oct. 13. Stay safe and see you on the picket lines next week. #SagAftraStrong #SagAftraStrike pic.twitter.com/dpCyM0PTvh
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) October 13, 2023
As Breitbart News noted, Hamas officially declared it “The Friday of the Al-Aqsa Flood” — a reference to the name of Saturday’s operation in which the terrorist organization launched a bloody rampage that has so far claimed 1,200 Israeli lives.
Meanwhile, former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal called for a “Day of Jihad,” telling Muslims around the world to take to the streets.
As a result, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has directed all officers to report for duty in uniform Friday.
Establishment media outlets have sought to spin the Hamas declaration to mean something less threatening, calling it a “day of rage” or “demonstrations.”
SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations with the studios broke down this week after the union’s latest proposal failed to elicit a response from industry. The breakdown represents an unexpected setback for the union, following the writers union’s successful negotiation of a new contract just days ago.
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