Artists4Ceasefire

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Artists4Ceasefire
FormationOctober 20, 2023;15 months ago (2023-10-20)
Type Artist collective
PurposeActivism
Website artists4ceasefire.org

Artists4Ceasefire is a collective of actors, filmmakers, and other artists calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire during the Israel–Hamas war in Gaza, the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians, and the release of all hostages. [1] [2] [3] The collective was started on October 20, 2023, two weeks after the October 7 attacks. [4]

The group that first formed to call for a ceasefire launched a new campaign on September 5, 2024, calling on the U.S. to stop sending Israel weapons, citing "grave human rights violations". [5]

Open letter

In October 2023, 55 artists and entertainment industry members signed an open letter to President Joe Biden as part of the collective demanding a ceasefire. [6] [7] [8] [9] The letter has expanded to include hundreds of artists, [10] including Drake, Jennifer Lopez, Bella and Gigi Hadid, Michael Stipe, Cate Blanchett, Zayn Malik, Frank Ocean, Rachel McAdams, Oscar Isaac, Bradley Cooper, David Oyelowo, Ben Affleck, John Cusack, Kristen Stewart, Channing Tatum, Quinta Brunson, Sandra Oh, Jon Stewart, and Joaquin Phoenix. [11] [12] The letter reads: "We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians." [13] Its other signatories include Tom Hardy, Milla Jovovich, Richard Gere, Peter Gabriel, Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Annie Lennox, Alyssa Milano, Jim Jarmusch, Brian Cox, Michael Moore, Andrew Garfield, Alfonso Cuarón, Selena Gomez, Janelle Monáe, Lupita Nyong'o, Hasan Minhaj, Jeremy Strong, Ayo Edebiri, Jenna Ortega, Mark Ruffalo, Cynthia Nixon, Dua Lipa, and Mark Rylance. [14] [15] [16] [17]

In September 2024, Artists4Ceasefire joined with Oxfam America, ActionAid, and Shepard Fairey to issue a call to action titled "Stop Weapons, Save Lives". [18] Among those calling for a U.S. arms embargo on Israel are Mahershala Ali, Cynthia Nixon, Mark Ruffalo, and Ilana Glazer. "Our demand is simple—our elected leaders must enforce existing U.S. and international humanitarian laws that prohibit the use of military assistance to commit grave human rights violations", Ruffalo said. [19] [5]

Pin design

The Artists4Ceasefire enamel pin depicts an orange hand with a black heart inside on a red background. Snopes compared the orange hand used in the design to red-hand symbols including the Red Hand of Ulster (a symbol used for the Irish province of Ulster), the symbol for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), and people criticizing Israel as having "blood on its hands" for its actions in Gaza. The Israeli government and New York Post journalist David Kaufman said that the symbol represents the 2000 Ramallah lynching. Snopes found no evidence that the design referenced the lynching. [20]

Members of the collective

People wearing pins

Several attendees of the 2024 Academy Awards ceremony wore red Artists4Ceasefire badges, including Quannah Chasinghorse, Finneas O'Connell, Billie Eilish, Mark Ruffalo, Ava DuVernay, Ramy Youssef, Riz Ahmed, Mahershala Ali, Kaouther Ben Hania and Misan Harriman. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] Some attendees also wore Palestinian flag pins, including Milo Machado-Graner and Swann Arlaud. [26] In an interview at the event, Youssef said: [4]

We are all calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We are calling for the safety of everyone involved and we really want lasting justice and peace for the Palestinian people.

At the 2024 Grammy Awards, musician Annie Lennox finished her tribute to Sinéad O'Connor by saying, "Artists for ceasefire, peace in the world". [27] The members of Boygenius (Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker) and Bo Burnham also wore Artists4Ceasefire pins. [28] [29]

Tony Shalhoub and Ebon Moss-Bachrach wore the pins at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards. [29]

At the Directors Guild of America Awards in February 2024, Ruffalo wore the pin and said: "We’re not going to bomb our way to peace". [30]

Endorsements

Artists4Ceasefire's message was spread through a partnership with artist Shepard Fairey and several humanitarian organizations, including Oxfam America, ActionAid USA, and the War Child Alliance. [19] On October 27, 2023, Oxfam US declared its support for the collective via posts and stories on its Instagram account. [31] On November 6, 2023, ActionAid USA released a statement of its support for the collective. [32]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ Holtermann, Callie (March 10, 2024). "On Oscars Carpet, Red Pins Worn to Call for Cease-Fire in Gaza". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  2. ↑ Tashjian, Rachel; Lau, Joyce (March 11, 2024). "Red pins on the red carpet: Celebrities call for cease-fire at the Oscars". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  3. ↑ Olsen, Mark (March 10, 2024). "Those red buttons people are wearing on red carpets are a call for a cease-fire in Gaza". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Brookins, Laurie (March 10, 2024). "Stars Wear Red Pin in Support of Israel-Hamas Ceasefire at the 2024 Oscars". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Celebrities demand US arms embargo on Israel, alleging human rights violations". The Times of Israel. 6 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Vaziri, Aidin. "Bay Area artists join open letter to Biden calling for cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Entertainment industry A-listers sign a letter to Biden urging a cease-fire in Gaza". npr.org. Archived from the original on 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  8. ↑ "How Stars Like Billie Eilish and Cillian Murphy Got Political at Oscars 2024". Vanity Fair. March 10, 2024. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  9. ↑ Murphy, J. Kim (October 20, 2023). "Joaquin Phoenix, Cate Blanchett and More Stars Demand Joe Biden Call for Israel-Gaza Ceasefire: 'Compassion Must Prevail'". Variety. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  10. ↑ Mehra, Vansh (March 12, 2024). "Oscars 2024: Why Did People Wear Red Pins & Buttons?". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Celebrities call for ceasefire, decry civilian deaths: Hollywood reacts to Israel-Hamas war". USA Today. October 16, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Hollywood stars who broke silence on Israel- Palestine conflict, here is the list". The Economic Times. 31 October 2023.
  13. ↑ "Hollywood stars urge Biden to push for ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war". Al Jazeera. 21 October 2023.
  14. ↑ "'People are being penalised': Hollywood divided over Israel-Hamas conflict". The Guardian. 2 December 2023.
  15. ↑ "Artists4Ceasefire". Artists4Ceasefire. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  16. ↑ "Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Oscar Isaac and More Call for a Ceasefire in Gaza and Israel: "Stand for Our Common Humanity"". The Hollywood Reporter. October 20, 2023.
  17. ↑ Kurtz, Judy (4 February 2024). "Annie Lennox calls for Gaza cease-fire at Grammys". The Hill.
  18. ↑ Ritman, Alex. "Mark Ruffalo, Mahershala Ali, Cynthia Nixon and Ilana Glazer Among Stars Calling for Halt to Illegal Weapons Transfers to Israel in New Artists4Ceasefire Initiative: 'Enough Is Enough'". Variety. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  19. 1 2 "Artists4Ceasefire: Hollywood stars call for US arms embargo on Israel as Gaza attacks continue". New Arab.
  20. ↑ Izzo, Jack (March 12, 2024). "What Did the Pins Worn by Celebrities at the 2024 Oscars Mean?". Snopes. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Oscars 2024: A night of 'Oppenheimer,' quiet protest, and Ryan Gosling just being Ken". npr.org. Archived from the original on 2024-03-11. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  22. ↑ Thompson, Jaden; Donnelly, Matt; Moreau, Jordan (March 10, 2024). "Protesters Turn Oscars Red Carpet Into Gridlock as Show Threatens to Start With Many Empty Seats". Variety. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  23. ↑ Malach, Hannah (March 10, 2024). "Billie Eilish, Ramy Youssef and More Stars Wearing Artists4Ceasefire Pins on Oscars 2024 Red Carpet, Explained". WWD. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Oscars 2024: Protest pins worn on the red carpet and what they mean". BBC. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Billie Eilish, Ramy Youssef, and More Wore Artists4Ceasefire Pins at Oscars 2024". Teen Vogue. March 10, 2024. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  26. ↑ Torregiani, Isabella (March 11, 2024). "What Did Billie Eilish's Pin at the 2024 Oscars Mean?". J-14. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  27. ↑ Garvey, Marianne (February 5, 2024). "Annie Lennox calls for ceasefire during Grammys performance". CNN. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Grammys feature Gaza cease-fire calls, keffiyeh & support for Israeli hostages". Al-Monitor. February 5, 2024. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  29. 1 2 Amatulli, Jenna (March 11, 2024). "Stars wear red Gaza ceasefire pins at Oscars as protest delays arrivals". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  30. ↑ "Actors wear red pins calling for Gaza ceasefire on Oscars red carpet". Big News Network.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2024-05-18. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  32. ↑ "ActionAid USA endorses the Artists4Ceasefire Letter". ActionAid USA News. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
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