*Members of the U.S. military were pressured by their commanding officers to attend screenings of the Amazon-produced documentary “Melania,” according to allegations from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
According to Raw Story, the organization reports that personnel at eight installations around the world described feeling compelled to purchase tickets and show up for viewings of the film. The documentary, which carried a $75 million price tag, earned just $7 million in its opening week despite heavy promotion. The foundation has raised concerns that military pressure may have artificially boosted those attendance numbers.
Mikey Weinstein, the foundation’s leader, said troops felt powerless to push back against the directive. “People are scared. They were pressured to see the movie. Your military superior, that’s not your shift manager at Taco Bell or Starbucks. They have complete and total control over you.”
One service member claimed their unit commander packaged the screening as a mandatory team-building event. “Nobody that I know wanted to go except for those that did not want to get jacked up by our unit commander for not attending,” the complaint read. The same account noted the commander wore red MAGA hats and “made it very clear” how he viewed anyone not aligned with the current administration.
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Another individual said the wording used to encourage attendance carried an unspoken threat. “When he said ‘advised,’ we know what that meant. We feel helpless to try to fight against what he is doing here.”
The Department of Defense denied any official mandate tied to the film, stating, “There is no Department of War directive requiring service members to see this film, though the film is fantastic.”
Directed by Brett Ratner and co-produced by Amazon MGM Studios, “Melania” chronicles the 20 days leading up to Melania Trump’s arrival at the White House.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Amazon Pulls ‘Melania’ From Oregon Theater After Marquee Joke Sparks Backlash
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