LOS ANGELES — A number of celebrities attending the 96th Oscars were wearing a noticeable accessory: a red lapel pin picturing the outline of a hand around a black heart.
Several attendees, including Billie Eilish and Finneas, best song nominees for “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie,” wore the pins, as well as Mark Ruffalo, Ava DuVernay and Ramy Youssef.
What do the red pins mean?
The red pins show support for Gaza the Artists for Ceasefire movement, which is calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
“We’re calling for immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We’re calling for peace and lasting justice for the people of Palestine,” Youssef told Variety on the red carpet. “It’s a universal message of, ‘Let’s stop killing kids. Let’s not be part of more war.'"
Hundreds of artists and celebrities signed a letter urging President Joe Biden to demand a ceasefire in Gaza as part of the Artists for ceasefire movement.
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Protests over Israel’s war in Gaza snarled traffic around the Academy Awards on Sunday, slowing stars' arrival at the red carpet and turning the Oscar spotlight toward the ongoing conflict.
Scattered demonstrations were held in the vicinity around the Oscars on Sunday. Los Angeles police, which had expected protests, beefed up their already extensive presence. The Dolby Theatre and the red carpet leading into it are cordoned off for several blocks in every direction.
The Health Ministry in Gaza said that at least 31,045 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says that women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.