‘No Awards for Genocide’: Protestors Cause Late Start to 2024 Oscars Telecast
The 2024 Academy Awards got to a late start on Sunday, after hundreds of protestors shut down a section of Sunset Boulevard— starting off an awards show filled with nods to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
Pro-Palestinian protestors reportedly blocked Sunset Boulevard with Palestinian flags and signs, some including some that said “No awards for genocide” and “Lives have been snubbed.” According to Variety, dozens of high-profile guests and award nominees were late because of the disruption and were forced to sit in traffic or fully abandon their vehicles and walk the remaining distance to the ceremony. Police called for the crowd to disperse.
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The telecast for the awards show started at 7:06pm ET, six minutes past the intended start time.
Show attendees, like nominees Marc Ruffalo and Billie Eilish, also made their feelings about the conflict known on the red carpet, wearing red Artists for Ceasefire pins. The petition to President Joe Biden, which hundreds of musicians and artists have signed, calls for a ceasefire based on the “devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors” occurring in the conflict— specifically noting the death and destruction the military action has caused to children in Gaza.
“Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two-thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes,” the petition reads. “Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them.”
The Awards show season has been dominated by demonstrations by both activists and nominees. During the 2024 Grammys, Annie Lennox called for a ceasefire during her tribute to Sinead O’Connor while protestors blocked the streets outside.
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