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Gina Carano claims she faced a “smear campaign” over her social media posts
Actress Gina Carano sued Disney and Lucasfilm after she was fired in 2021 over a social media post in which she compared being a Republican to being Jewish during the Holocaust.
The lawsuit is being funded by Elon Musk, who put out an open invitation on his X platform for others to join the lawsuit.
Ms Carano is seeking $75,000 (£60,000) in damages. She's also asking the court to force Lucasfilm to reshoot it.
Representatives of the accused could not immediately be reached for comment.
Ms. Carano, 41, a former mixed martial arts fighter, portrayed Cara Dune in the first two seasons of the Disney+ show The Mandalorian.
During that period, she frequently tangled online with leftists.
But her critics called for her to be fired after she published a post on her Instagram account in February 2021, equating the Nazis' persecution of Jews with the political climate Republicans face today.
“Because history is edited, most people today do not realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their neighbors hate them simply for being Jews,” the post said.
“How is that different from hating someone because of their political views?”
On the same day, Ms. Carano was let go by Lucasfilm, the production company behind the show, as well as UTA, the talent agency that had represented her for nearly two years.
In a statement at the time, a Lucasfilm spokesperson said its “social media posts that denigrate people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”
UTA was not named in Tuesday's court filing, which alleges The Walt Disney Co. was at fault for the agency dropping it.
the A 59-page civil lawsuitfiled in federal court in California, lays out allegations of wrongful termination and retaliation in a story laden with Star Wars references.
“A short time ago, in a galaxy not too far away, the Defendants made it clear that only one doctrine of thought, word, or deed was acceptable in their empire, and that those who dared to question or failed to fully comply would not be tolerated,” it begins. Complaint.
Ms. Carano claims she was fired “because she dared to express her own opinions…and stood up to the online mob who demanded that she conform to their radical progressive ideology.”
The lawsuit alleges that the actress was treated differently from two male actors, who wrote or shared online posts smearing Republicans as Nazis, but faced no punishment.
In a lengthy statement on X, Ms Carano said she had been subjected to “a smear campaign aimed at silencing, destroying and making an example of me”.
“Artists do not give up our rights as American citizens when we start working,” she added, thanking Mr. Musk and those who supported her.
The billionaire shared her statement, writing: “Please let us know if you would like to join the lawsuit against Disney.”
Musk had previously pledged to provide financial support to those facing discrimination due to their posts on X.
In a statement, a spokesperson for his company said it was “proud” to support Carano's lawsuit as part of its commitment to freedom of expression.
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