Celebrities sport red pins at the Oscars calling for Gaza ceasefire
The impact of the ongoing war in Gaza was felt at the Oscars on Sunday night as several Hollywood celebrities showed their support for a ceasefire demand in the besieged Palestinian enclave by wearing a red pin with an orange hand and a black heart.
Actor Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, musicians Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, and filmmaker Ava DuVernay were among those sporting the pins alongside other celebrities such as Eugene Lee Yang, Misan Harriman, Kaouther Ben Hania, and Quannah Chasinghorse – all of whom made a visible impact at the star-studded event.
“We are calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza; we are calling for peace and lasting justice for the people of Palestine and a universal message of ‘let’s stop killing kids,’” actor and comedian Ramy Youssef said during a red-carpet interview.
“A lot of people will be wearing these pins tonight because we want to use [the place] where we are to speak to people’s hearts,” Youssef added.
Jewish director Jonathan Glazer – who won the award for the Best International Film for ‘The Zone of Interest,’ a historical drama set during the Holocaust – used his acceptance speech to condemn the violence in the Middle East. “All our choices are made to reflect and confront us in the present, not to say, ‘Look what they did then.’ Rather, ‘look what we do now,’” he said.
“Our film shows where dehumanization leads to at its worst. It shaped all of our past and present,” he added.
He further said: “Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the holocaust being hijacked by an occupation that has led to conflict for so many innocent people – whether the victims [are from] October 7 in Israel, or the ongoing attack on Gaza.”
Symbol of collective support
The pin was designed by Artists4Ceasefire, a collective organization of actors, musicians, and filmmakers that have come together in response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
“The pin symbolizes collective support for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all of the hostages, and for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,” the group said in a press statement.
The organization also wrote a letter, asking US President Joe Biden to demand a ceasefire and the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid to the region. More than 380 actors, musicians, and filmmakers have signed the letter. Signatories include actor Ruffalo, Kristen Stewart, Mahershala Ali, Jennifer Lopez, and DuVernay, some of whom have worn the pin at other events this year.
The red pins had previously been seen at the Grammys and Screen Actor Guild awards, with stars such as Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, Tony Shalhoub and Ebon Moss-Bachrach supporting the initiative by wearing those.
