Meryl Streep: Golden Globes organisers endorse speech

The organisation behind the Golden Globe Awards has praised Meryl Streep for her championing of the press.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) described the actress as a "class act" after her speech at the ceremony on Sunday night.

Streep criticised President-elect Donald Trump and said: "We need the principled press to hold power to account."

Lorenzo Soria, the president of the HFPA, has now endorsed Streep.

"As an organisation of journalists, the HFPA stands by your defence of free expression and we reject any calls for censorship," he wrote on Twitter, addressing the actress.

"We thank you for your unwavering support for the arts."

'Enough is enough'

Streep has also been contacted by several fellow actors who offered their support of what she had said.

One was Robert De Niro, who told the actress in a letter: "What you said was great. It needed to be said, and you said it beautifully.

"I have so much respect for you that you did it while the world was celebrating your achievements. I share your sentiments about punks and bullies. Enough is enough."

He added: "You, with your elegance and intelligence, have a powerful voice - one that inspires others to speak up as they should so their voices will be heard too. It is so important that we ALL speak up."

It is not the first time De Niro has made his dislike of Mr Trump clear - prior to his election the actor released a video in which he described the president-elect as an "idiot" and a "fool".

Robert De Niro is a known critic of Mr Trump

Viola Davis, who introduced Streep at the Golden Globes, said after the ceremony: "She's earned the right to say that, and I think all of us felt a sigh of relief.

"Sometimes you need the first person to dive in there and have the courage and the bravery to give a mouthpiece to what we were all feeling."

At the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Streep received the Cecil B DeMille Award for outstanding contribution to entertainment.

In her acceptance speech, Streep made reference to Mr Trump's imitation of a disabled reporter during the US presidential campaign trail last year. She also spoke of the need for the principled press to hold Mr Trump to account over the next four years.

Mr Trump responded by tweeting: "Meryl Streep, one of the most overrated actresses in Hollywood, doesn't know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes. She is a Hillary flunky who lost big."