From Mark Ruffalo To Billie Eilish, Celebrities Adorn Red Pin In Oscars Calling For Gaza Ceasefire
From Mark Ruffalo to Billie Eilish, celebrities wore red pin calling for ceasefire in Gaza during the Oscar Award ceremony. The pin featured an outstretched hand with a heart on it, and is from the organization Artist4Ceasefire. More than 400 members of the Hollywood entertainment industry signed a letter to President Joe Biden calling for an immediate ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war.
The ‘Ceasefire’ pin was worn by Academy Awards nominees like Finneas O’Connell, Billie Eilish, Mark Ruffalo, Ava Du Vernay and Ramy Youssef. Other Academy Awards nominees who signed the Artist4ceasefire include Bradley Cooper, America Ferrara, Cate Blanchett, Drake and Jennifer Lopez.
Ruffalo, who has been nominated for the Academy Awards for his role of a slick suitor in Poor Things, has been vocal about the Israel-Gaza war since the beginning. On October 9th, taking Ruffalo posted on his Instagram handle that “concerning the tragic events unfolding in Israel and Gaza, I am grief-stricken for the unspeakable suffering and loss of life and loved ones. This horrific violence must end. I have no answers obviously, but I feel it is absolutely necessary to focus on our shared human existence and reality. The sanctity of our common humanity will hopefully serve to heal the unimaginable wounds of division”.
Ruffalo called out the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remark on Palestinians and said that the innocent civilians of Palestine are not “collateral damages” but human beings”.
In an interview given to Hollywood Reporter, Ramy Youssef, who was nominated for his role in Poor Things said, “there’s a part of you that hopes it doesn’t have to get to pins. There’s a part of us that hoped we would already be at a cease-fire, and we’re not”. He said, “This isn’t about political strategy, this isn’t about going tit-for-tat, it’s about something really simple, which is just: Hey, let’s stop killing kids.”
The Artist4Ceasefire was organized on October 20th, as a volunteer organization and opportunity for artists to use their voice. On its website, the Artists4Ceasefire letter opened with saying, “we urge your administration, Congress, and all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages. Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them”.
Hollywood have been wearing the red pin since the Grammy Awards that took place in on February 4. Actors like Annie Lennox, and Phoebe Bridgers were among those who wore the symbol during the Grammy Awards. Joe Alwyn and Dua Lipa wore the pin during the pre-parties of the BAFTA Awards and celebrities including Ebon Moss-Bachrach wore the pin during the SAG Award on February 24.
