Politically charged awards season ends with some at Oscars advocating for peace in Gaza
LOS ANGELES: The presence of “BE GOOD” and “ICE OUT” pins at the Academy Awards paled in comparison to last month's Grammys. But those who did wear protest apparel used Sunday's red carpet to also advocate for Palestinian liberation and a ceasefire amid the fragile situation in Gaza, adding to the growing artist-driven activism at entertainment awards shows.
“No to war and free Palestine,” actor Javier Bardem said onstage before presenting best international feature film. He wore a patch reading “No a la Guerra,” the same anti-war slogan he sported to protest the Iraq war more than two decades ago.
As Hollywood's awards season comes to a close with the Oscars, political organizers suggested that celebrities found their political voices more this cycle than in recent years. Maremoto Executive Director Jess Morales Rocketto, whose Latino advocacy group was behind the immigration pins that debuted at the Golden Globes, called it a “return to form” for artists' political engagement.
She credited comments by Mark Ruffalo on the Golden Globes red carpet in January. The actor, who is often outspoken, told Entertainment Tonight that “as much as I love all this” he found it difficult to pretend “like this crazy stuff isn't happening.”
