Palestinian rights activists disrupt 2024 Oscars: "No awards for genocide"
Los Angeles, California - A large crowd blocked the road to the 2024 Academy Awards in support of Palestinians under a US-backed Israeli siege.
Writers Against the War on Gaza LA, Film Workers For Palestine, SAG-AFTRA for Ceasefire, and more groups marched for Palestinian freedom ahead of Hollywood's biggest night.
Hundreds of protesters donned keffiyehs, chanted "Ceasefire now" and "Free Palestine," and held up signs with messages like "No awards for genocide."
Roadblocks and red carpet and Dolby Theatre obstructions caused some stars to arrive late to the Oscars. The Academy reportedly sent golf carts to pick up attendees after demonstrators shut down a main thoroughfare, bringing traffic to a standstill.
The Oscars – held on the first day of Ramadan – took place amid a five-month-long Israeli assault on Gaza, which has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians to date.
With US weapons and funding, Israel is preparing to launch an all-out attack on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip – the last refuge for more than a million forcibly displaced Palestinians seeking shelter under increasingly desperate conditions.
Sunday's march was designed to keep "ALL EYES ON RAFAH" ahead of Israel's planned invasion, organizers shared on Instagram ahead of the demonstration.
The action led to a six-minute delay of the awards show's broadcast.
Some stars show solidarity with Gaza during Oscars
During the Oscars, some celebs – including Billie Eilish, Finneas O'Connell, Mark Ruffalo, and Ramy Youssef – wore Artists for Ceasefire pins calling attention to the desperate situation in Gaza.
Anatomy of a Fall stars Swann Arlaud and Milo Machado-Graner wore Palestinian flag pins.
"We’re all calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We’re calling for the safety of everyone involved. We really want lasting justice and peace for the Palestinian people," Youssef said during a red carpet interview.
"We really just want to say, 'Let’s just stop killing children.' There’s so much there to process and it feels like the easiest way to have the conversations that people want to have is when they’re isn’t an active bombing campaign happening."
Filmmaker Jonathan Glazer also mentioned the Gaza assault during his Best International Feature Oscar acceptance speech for The Zone of Interest, which depicts the life of a Nazi commandant and his family who live next to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
"Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst," Glazer said. "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 ongoing attack on Gaza."
Cover photo: IMAGO / USA TODAY Network