An Egyptian member of the Golden Globes voting body, film critic Howaida Hamdy, has been expelled from the organization along with two others following the discovery of old tweets containing conspiracy theories about Israel and Zionists.
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The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) did not provide specific details regarding the reasons for their expulsion, except for stating that they had violated the organization's code of conduct. The removal of Hamdy and the other members came in response to complaints from fellow committee members. As of Sunday, the Golden Globes' official website no longer featured bio pages for any of the three expelled members. Hamdy’s X account has been deleted.
Earlier this summer, Hamdy had come under scrutiny when the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA), a pro-Israel watchdog group, published a report about her activities. In one of her 2013 tweets written in Arabic, Hamdy said: "Hollywood is the Zionists' stronghold," and she alleged that "most films" exhibited a bias in favor of Zionists. She also expressed disapproval of the film "World War Z," which partly takes place in Israel and portrays the Mossad's response to a zombie virus outbreak.
Another 2013 tweet from Hamdy suggested a connection between Islamist terrorists and Zionist-American plots. Additionally, CAMERA raised concerns about two separate reviews written by Hamdy for a Palestinian film. In these reviews, one in Arabic and one in English, she used different language to describe the director's portrayal of Palestinian resistance movements.
Following the CAMERA report, the HFPA initiated an investigation into Hamdy's conduct. She had joined the organization in 2021 amid controversy surrounding the HFPA's perceived lack of diversity among its members. As a result of the backlash, the Golden Globe Awards were not televised that year, and the HFPA committed to diversifying its membership.
The Golden Globes is expected to reveal a roster of 300 voters from 76 countries soon. The next Golden Globes Awards are set for January 10, 2024.