The impact of the ongoing conflict in Gaza reverberated at the Oscars on Sunday night as several Hollywood celebrities showed their support for a ceasefire in Palestine by wearing a badge featuring an orange hand and a black heart.
Actor Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, musicians Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, and filmmaker Ava DuVernay were among those sporting the badges alongside other celebrities such as Eugene Lee Yang, Misan Harriman, Kaouther Ben Hania, and Quannah Chasinghorse – all of whom made a visible impact at the star-studded event.
“We are calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza; we are calling for peace and lasting justice for the people of Palestine and a universal message of ‘let’s stop killing kids,’” actor and comedian Ramy Youssef said during a red-carpet interview.
“A lot of people will be wearing these badges tonight because we want to use [the platform] where we are to speak to people’s hearts,” Youssef added.
The badge was designed by Artists4Ceasefire, a collective organisation of actors, musicians, and filmmakers that have come together in response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
“The badge symbolises collective support for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,” the group said in a press statement.
The organisation also wrote a letter, asking US President Joe Biden to demand a ceasefire and the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid to the region. More than 380 actors, musicians, and filmmakers have signed the letter. Signatories include actor Ruffalo, Kristen Stewart, Mahershala Ali, Jennifer Lopez, and DuVernay, some of whom have worn the badge at other events this year.
