Statement on the President calling for the death of the “whole civilization” of Iran

The President of the United States crossed a line today — a line that cannot be ignored, excused, or normalized.

We are artists, comedians, writers, and storytellers — people who have staked our lives on the belief that stories can save lives, that humor defangs tyrants, that art outlasts empires, and that the human voice, raised in protest, is one of the most durable forces in history. We refuse to stay silent while the President of the United States calls for the death of a "whole civilization."

The Committee for the First Amendment was built to defend free expression, and that mission demands we speak up now. The First Amendment protects the right of every person to speak out against violence, against dehumanization, and against the real threat of genocide — even when these threats come from the President of the United States. 

We know where this road leads. We have seen it before. Silence is not neutrality. Silence creates permission.

So we call on every artist, every comedian, every writer, every storyteller, every person who cares about the future of our democracy, to exercise your First Amendment rights before it is too late.

History will remember who spoke up — and who stayed silent — when it mattered most. 

It has never mattered more than it does right now.