Sheen defends right to speak against war

Actor and activist Martin Sheen has defended the rights of Hollywood anti-war protesters to express their views on March 23.

In an article published in the Los Angeles Times, Sheen has criticized those who he says are trying to denigrate his and other Hollywood activists’ views, “solely due to our celebrity status“.

He writes: “Whether celebrity or diplomat, cabdriver or student, all deserve a turn at the podium.”

This outspoken column comes a day after Los Angeles Police Department ordered extra resources to prevent anti-war demonstrators from reaching the red carpet on Academy Award Sunday.

The star, who plays President Bartlett in The West Wing, says celebrity activists do carry added responsibility because their statements are likely to receive press coverage.

He explains: “As a result, we are often called to give voice to the voiceless and a presence to the marginalised.”

His article is published next to an opinion piece by Esra Naama, an Iraqi-American from San Diego, California, who writes that her family fled Saddam Hussein’s regime in 1992.

Naama, a member of the non-profit group Women For A Free Iraq, says: “When Martin Sheen, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon and Barbra Streisand speak about the Iraqi people, they are not speaking about people like me.”