Ex-president of Golden Globes distributor under fire for shocking email on Black Lives Matter
Los Angeles, California – The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) is coming under fire for its ex-president's hateful anti-Black Lives Matter rhetoric in a now-viral email thread.
HFPA is an organization of journalists based in LA that reports on the entertainment industry primarily for media outlets abroad. They are also responsible for giving out the Golden Globe Awards.
The non-profit came under fire in February for not having a single Black person among its 87 members. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the organization hired a diversity specialist and consulted with a crisis management expert after the reveal.
Now, HFPA has given itself until May 5 to present concrete structural changes, but some members are undermining that work considerably.
Philip Berk (88), eight-term past president, sent an email on Sunday to the HFPA members, staff, and COO including an article from a right-wing source that referred to Black Lives Matter as a "racist hate movement." It also criticizes BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors for buying a home in Topango Canyon.
"The house is down the road from one of the homes involved in the Manson murders, which seems only appropriate since Manson wanted to start a race war," Berk is quoted as writing. "And Black Lives Matter is carrying on Manson's work."
Of all people, Berk is not exactly best-placed to be casting aspersions on anyone else. In the past, he generated negative press coverage for HFPA thanks to his controversial memoir With Signs and Wonders: My Journey from Darkest Africa to the Bright Lights of Hollywood. Berk was born in South Africa.
He has also been accused of sexually assaulting Brendan Fraser at an HFPA luncheon in 2003: "His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. And he starts moving it around," the Mummy actor recalled to GQ.
The HFPA has since condemned Berk's email message in a statement released on Monday, cited by Hollywood Reporter: "The views expressed in the article circulated by Mr. Berk are those of the author of the article and do not – in any way shape or form – reflect the views and values of the HFPA. The HFPA condemns all forms of racism, discrimination and hate speech and finds such language and content unacceptable."
The board of the organization is currently considering taking punitive measures against its past president's unhinged behavior.
Cover photo: IMAGO / UPI Photo