Meryl Streep's Golden Globes speech provoking an angry war of words

Meryl Streep's speech at the Golden Globes is continuing to provoke passionate responses, both in support of her emotional message and strongly opposed to it. 

While accepting the Cecil B. Demille Award which honours her entire career, the Out of Africa star celebrated Hollywood's diversity, defended the importance of journalism and - without naming him - decried the President-elect's "instinct to humiliate".

In addition to Donald Trump himself tweeting an angry response, many of his supporters are attacking Streep - some even using the #LockHerUp hashtag to suggest she should be imprisoned over the comments.

Trump aide Kellyanne Conway appeared on Fox News to respond to Streep's speech, claiming it was inflammatory.

"I'm concerned that somebody with a platform like Meryl Streep is also, I think, inciting people's worst instincts," said Conway.

"When she won't get up there and say, 'I didn't like it, but let's try and support him and see if we can find some common ground' - which he has actually done since moment one."

UFC president Dan White has also hit out at Streep, arguing against her claim that football and mixed martial arts "are not the arts".

"It's not going to be everybody's thing, and the last thing I expect is for an uppity 80-year-old lady to be in our demographic and love mixed martial arts," White, who spoke at the Republican National Convention last year before Trump, told TMZ.

"Of course [MMA] is an art. These fighters, these men and women, are so talented. They train their whole lives to be the best in the world. To say something stupid like that is like saying, 'She's not a talented actress', which she is. She's a very talented actress."

Many in the showbiz community have leapt to Streep's defence, praising her speech and criticising the negative responses it triggered.

Newshub.

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