The ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza did not go unnoticed at the 96th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, with protesters causing traffic delays, celebrities wearing pins to call for a ceasefire and a release of all hostages in Gaza and a winner even dedicating part of his speech to highlighting the situation in Gaza.
Before the Oscars even got underway Sunday night, hundreds of protesters marched through Hollywood to highlight what they called “Hollywood's active support of the U.S.-funded Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.”
The organizers said they sought to “disrupt the Academy Awards” and expose “retaliation against anyone in the film industry who speaks out against Israel's atrocities and war crimes.”
On the red carpet, celebrities such as Billie Eilish, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Ava DuVernay and others wore red pins in support for a cease-fire and a release of all hostages in Gaza.
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Eilish and her brother Finneas also wore the pins when they accepted the Oscar for best song for "What Was I Made For?"
The pins were created by Artists4Ceasefire, an organization that is calling for a ceasefire and the safe release of all hostages.
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Then, as the show was underway, Jonathan Glazer, a British filmmaker whose chilling Auschwitz drama “The Zone of Interest” won best international film, drew connections between his film and the situation today.
“Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people, whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel, or the the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims, this humanization, how do we resist?”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
