Pro-ceasefire protesters make it all the way to the Oscars red carpet

Several attendees wore pro-Palestine pins, while "Zone of Interest" director Jonathan Glazer directly referenced the carnage in Gaza in his acceptance speech.

By 

Christian Holub

 

 

Published on March 10, 2024

The Dolby Theatre is a long way from Gaza, but the ongoing conflict in Palestine made an impact at the 2024 Oscars. Protesters advocating for a lasting ceasefire in the region, and a free Palestine, gathered in a crowd of hundreds in Hollywood on Sunday. They made their way all the way to the Oscars red carpet, where they were greeted by LAPD officers in riot gear.

According to New York Times journalist Nicole Sperling, the pro-Palestinian protest shut down a main thoroughfare near the theater and delayed some big stars' arrival at the Academy Awards ceremony. Later, the protesters approached the red carpet itself, and several social media users posted videos showing police using batons against protesters.

Police keep watch near protestors gathered outside the 96th Academy Awards. 

MARIO TAMA/GETTY

Within the ceremony, several Oscars attendees wore pins showing their support for Palestinians. Anatomy of a Fall cast members Swann Arlaud (the defense lawyer) and Milo Machado-Graner (the son of Sandra Huller's character) wore pins displaying the Palestinian flag. Others, like singer Billie Eilish and Poor Things costars Ramy Youssef and Mark Ruffalo, wore red buttons representing the Artists for Ceasefire coalition.

"We're calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza," Youssef told Variety on the red carpet. "We're calling for peace and lasting justice for the people of Palestine. I think it's a universal message of 'Let's stop killing kids. Let's not be part of more war.'"

The only Oscars winner to directly address the conflict in Gaza was The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer. Taking the stage after winning the award for Best International Feature Film, Glazer said that his film about the Holocaust has a lot of relevance to the present moment.

"All our choices were made to reflect and confront us in the present — not to say what they did then, but to look at what we do now," he said. "Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. 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 of Oct. 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization. How do we resist?"

As an example of how to help people suffering from dehumanization and genocide, Glazer dedicated his win to a woman named Alexandria, who had been a member of the Polish resistance and hid food for Auschwitz prisoners. After meeting her shortly before her death, Glazer created a character in the film based on her.

"The girl who glows in the film as she did in life," Glazer said. "I dedicate this to her memory and her resistance. Thank you."

Oppenheimer star and Best Actor winner Cillian Murphy also seemed to allude to conflicts around the globe (from Gaza to Ukraine, the subject of Best Documentary winner 20 Days in Mariupol) in his acceptance speech. "We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb, and for better or worse we're all living in Oppenheimer's world," he said. "So I'd really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere."

See the full list of 2024 Oscar winners.