HBO star Hannah Einbinder’s Emmy Awards acceptance speech drew international attention Sunday night when she used the stage to declare “Free Palestine.”
The moment quickly spread online, including through Quds News Network, a social media outlet reportedly linked to Hamas.
But while the network praised Einbinder’s message, it censored and blurred out the actress’s bare shoulders and chest, erasing even the pin she wore in support of Palestinians.
Highlights
- Hannah Einbinder used her Emmy acceptance speech to call for “Free Palestine."
- Quds News Network, linked to Hamas, praised Einbinder’s speech but blurred her bare shoulders and erased a pro-Palestinian pin.
- Einbinder joined the Film Workers for Palestine pledge, boycotting Israeli film institutions.
Hamas-linked network praised Hannah Einbinder’s message while blurring out her shoulders
Image credits: Myung J. Chun/Getty Images
Einbinder, who won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on Hacks, included a message in her acceptance speech: “Go birds, f**k ICE, and free Palestine.”
Her speech exceeded the usual 45-second limit, affecting a $100,000 donation by host Nate Bargatze to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which was tied to speech length.
A portion of the donation was deducted for every second an acceptance speech exceeded 45 seconds, according to the conditions of the donation. Einbinder promised to cover the difference herself.
Quds News posted the speech to its X account late Sunday, praising Einbinder for linking her Jewish identity to her support for Palestinians.
“Hannah Einbinder explains that her decision to say ‘Free Palestine’ during her Emmys acceptance speech came from her belief that, as a Jewish person, she has a responsibility to distinguish Judaism and Jewish culture from the ethnonationalist project of the Israeli state,” the post read.
It was deleted from the X account by Monday morning.
Image credits: X
Social media users criticized the network’s decision to blur parts of Einbinder’s body while amplifying her words.
One user commented, “The people you scream on behalf of think so little of your rights as a woman that they CENSOR your entire upper body.”
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, managing director of the American Jewish Committee in Europe, posted a screenshot of the blurred video with the caption: “There, in one image, is all the absurdity.”
Quds News claims to operate independently in the Palestinian diaspora, but it has gained a reputation for being affiliated with Hamas.
While Hamas has denied imposing a mandatory dress code for women, it has been accused of enforcing a “Code of Modesty” rule, forcing women to wear headscarves and long gowns in public.
Hamas has been accused of enforcing a "Code of Modesty" rule for women
Einbinder’s remarks at the Emmys also sparked sharp criticism from Jewish leaders and activists.
Hen Mazzig, an Israeli writer, wrote in The Hollywood Reporter that her speech risked normalizing anti-Israel sentiment.
“When celebrities make it trendy to vilify Israel, it fuels the climate that leads to Jewish schools under police guard, synagogues set on fire and children beaten on their way to class,” Mazzig wrote.
“True bravery would have been using that Emmy stage to call for the release of the 48 hostages still held in Gaza and end of the war.”
Einbinder later explained her reasoning in the Emmys Press room.
“When you were up on stage, you talked about Palestine, and I know you signed a pledge, too. Can you talk about that, please?” a journalist asked.
“I feel like it is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel because our religion and our culture is such an important and long-standing institution that is really separate to this sort of ethno-nationalist state,” Einbinder responded.
She said the war in Gaza has become an issue close to her own heart, revealing that she has friends working as doctors in Palestine trying to help refugees displaced by the war.
Einbinder also spoke about joining the Film Workers for Palestine pledge, which calls on artists to boycott Israeli film institutions. More than 3000 signatories of the pledge include Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Peter Sarsgaard, and Elliot Page.
“And in terms of the pledge,” Einbinder continued, “it's like many movements; boycotting is an effective tool to create pressure on the powers that be to meet the moment, so the Film Workers for Palestine boycott does not boycott individuals, it only boycotts institutions that are directly complicit in the genocide.”
Image credits: Ana Fernandez/Getty Images
While Einbinder received criticism, she was also applauded by many for her statements on social media.
One user said, “So there is this eloquent and amazing new mother,” while another said, “She faces a ton of pressure not to do this and I have an incredible amount of respect for her for doing it anyway.”
“A TV star normalizing matter-of-factly talking about Gaza - as a place w/people living lives as humans equal to anyone else - Well, it’s sad that it’s big, but it’s big,” another user added.