Billie Eilish and Ramy Youssef were among the stars who lit up the red carpet at Sunday night’s Academy Awards wearing red buttons representing a call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza.
The pins were a coordinated effort by Artists4Ceasefire, a coalition of more than 400 Hollywood figures who signed an open letter this month urging President Joe Biden to press for a ceasefire, according to The New York Times, among them Youssef.
“We’re calling for the safety of everyone involved. We really want lasting justice and peace for the people of Palestine,” he 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.’ No one has ever looked back at war and thought a bombing campaign was a good idea.
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“To be surrounded by so many artists who are willing to lend their voices, the list is growing,” he continued. “A lot of people are going to be wearing these pins tonight. There’s a lot of talking heads on the news, this is a space of talking hearts. We’re trying to have this big beam to humanity.”
In addition to Youssef and Eilish, other artists who wore the button included Mark Ruffalo, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang, and Ava DuVernay. At the Grammys last month, Boygenius’ Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker wore the same pins.
The cast of Anatomy of a Fall were photographed sporting Palestinian flag buttons. “Too many dead people since the 7th of October,” actor Swann Arlaud told Vanity Fair. “It has to stop. It’s about humanity. Ceasefire.”
