Celebs Wore Red Pins at the Oscars to Call for a Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza
The red pins have shown up at the Grammys, the Directors Guild Awards, and now the Oscars.
Published March 11 2024, 10:04 a.m. ET
The 2024 Oscars were filled to the brim with memorable moments and worthy winners, but amid all of that celebration of the best that cinema has to offer (and a highly memorable performance of "I'm Just Ken"), many wanted to learn more about the red pins that were being worn by certain members of the audience. While not everyone had one, there were enough around that they called attention to themselves.
As you may have guessed, the pins emphasize an issue of political significance that was important to many of the attendees. Here's what we know about what the red pins represented.
What did the red pins at the Oscars mean?
The red pins were to call for a permanent and immediate ceasefire in Gaza and were distributed by an organization called Artists4Ceasefire. The group signed a letter in late October asking President Joe Biden to demand a ceasefire in the conflict, which has been raging since October 2023. The pin features a red glossy circle with a hand and a black heart.
“The pin symbolizes collective support for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all of the hostages, and for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,” Artists4Ceasefire explained in a statement.
Among the celebrities wearing the pins included Ramy Youssef and Mark Ruffalo from Poor Things, as well as best song winners Billie Eilish and Finneas.
“We are asking for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza,” Ramy explained in interviews. “We are asking for justice and peace for the Palestinian people and also you know, a really universal message, which is let’s just stop killing the children."
Prior to the Oscars, the pins could also be seen at the Grammys and at the Directors Guild of America Awards in February.
Gaza came up during one speech at the Oscars as well.
In addition to being subtly referenced by the pins, the ongoing war in Gaza also came up during Jonathan Glazer's acceptance speech for Best International Feature, which he won for his film The Zone of Interest.
“All our choices are made to reflect and confront us in the present – not to say, ‘Look what they did then,' rather ‘look what we do now,'" he said. “Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It shaped all of our past and present.”
“Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation that has led to conflict for so many innocent people, whether the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza,” Jonathan continued.
The Zone of Interest tells the story of a Nazi family going about their normal lives even as they live in a house that shares in adjoining wall with Auschwitz. The film was widely nominated at the ceremony, and feels eerily relevant almost 100 years after the events it depicts. Following the ceremony, Jonathan's speech was understandably a subject of some controversy.
