Celebrities including Steve Coogan, Brian Cox, Joe Lycett and The Crown star Khalid Abdalla came out in support of Palestine at last night’s TV Baftas by calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The actors and TV stars used the glitzy ceremony at London’s Royal Festival Hall as a platform to make a political statement as they arrived on the red carpet wearing red pins and hands.
The pins were launched by Artists4Ceasefire, a group of people within the entertainment industry, and are a symbol seen as a call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
A-list celebrities were criticized by Israeli figures in March for wearing the red pins at the Oscars, saying the image harkened back to the 2000 lynching of two Jewish men in Ramallah.
Mr Cox, who starred as Logan Roy in Succession, attended the Baftas with his actress wife Nicole Ansari-Cox, who also wore a red pin.
Celebrities including Steve Coogan, Brian Cox and The Crown star Khalid Abdalla came out in support of Palestine at the TV Baftas last night
Joe Lycett poses with the Entertainment Performance Award for ‘Late Night Lycett’ with a red pin on his outfit
Mr. Cox wore a red pin, a symbol calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The pins were launched by Artists4Ceasefire, a group of people within the entertainment industry
Khalid Abdallaa, 43, who played Princess Diana’s late friend Dodi Fayed in the Netflix show, also held up a clear bag containing 14,000 red sequins to represent each “child killed in Gaza.”
Poldark actress Sofia Oxenham, The Last Kingdom’s Stefanie Martini, and Luke Rollason and Bilal Hasna from Disney+ series Extraordinary also wore the red pin.
Abdallaa, 43, who played Princess Diana’s late friend Dodi Fayed in the Netflix show, also held up a clear bag containing 14,000 red sequins to represent every “child killed in Gaza” amid the ongoing conflict in the Center -East.
On the other side, the star had written “Stop arming Israel” in black felt-tip pen as he posed for photos holding up the sequins.
On social media platform Multiply that by 2.46 and you get the current death toll, more than 34,500.’
UNICEF confirmed that more than 14,000 children have been killed and 12,000 injured in Gaza since Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 7 last year.
It’s not the first time the actor has shared his political stance on the conflict, writing “never again” on his hand at the 2024 Emmy Awards in January, referring to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Khalid also made a political statement when he called for a ceasefire during the LA premiere of The Crown series six in November last year.
He had joined his co-stars Elizabeth Debicki (Diana), Rufus Kampa (William) and Fflyn Edwards (Harry) at the screening ahead of the series’ release on November 16.
British actress, writer and director Susan Wokoma, who is best known for her role as Edith in the Enola Holmes films, also wore a red pin
(From top left to bottom right) Stefanie Martini, Luke Rollason, Mr Cox’s wife Nicole Ansari-Cox, and Bilal Hasna were all spotted wearing the red pin
Poldark actress Sofia Oxenham also wore the red pin. A-list celebrities have previously been criticized for wearing the pins to the Oscars
Several celebrities wore these pins to the Oscars, held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, representing the ‘Artists4Ceasefire’ movement, a group calling for a ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza
(left to right) Rollarson, Oxenham, Emma Moran, Máiréad Tyers and Hasna wearing Gaza ceasefire badges at the Baftas
Israeli public figures previously criticized A-list celebrities at the Oscars for wearing red hand pins symbolizing support for a ceasefire in Gaza by ‘Artists4Ceasefire’
While posing for photos with his co-star Elizabeth, Khalid revealed he had written on his hand in black pen, reading “Ceasefire NOW.”
He wrote on Twitter about the message: “Because all lives are sacred. Because I believe in the power of the human heart.
‘Because we have to be clear and open and do everything we can for a better world. #CeasefireNow.’
It’s a hashtag he has previously used when he wrote on Remembrance Sunday next to a photo of pro-Palestinian protesters: ‘I am so proud of London for not succumbing to all the intimidation and showing what a love march for our common humanity looks like during Armistice. Day. #CeasefireNOW.’
In March, the pins were worn at the Oscars by Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas, Cord Jefferson, Mark Ruffalo, Ava DuVernay, Ramy Youssef and Quannah Chasinghorse, among others.
“The pin symbolizes collective support for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages and for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,” the group said in a statement.
Both Noa Tishby and Yoseph Haddad, prominent advocates for Israel, criticized celebrities for wearing red Artists4Ceasefire pins at the Oscars.
A protester shows a hand covered in fake blood as pro-Palestinian supporters gather for an anti-Israel rally in 2023 to show solidarity with the Gaza people in Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran
Both Noa Tishby and Yoseph Haddad, prominent advocates for Israel, criticized celebrities wearing red Artists4Ceasefire pins at the Oscars.
Tishby and Haddad have been actively involved in international advocacy, discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with politicians, students and the public.
According to Haddad, this movement emerged in response to yellow pins calling for the release of Israeli hostages, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Tishby and Haddad believe that wearing these pins carries significant symbolism.
Tishby highlighted the absence of yellow ribbon pins, calling for the return of Israeli hostages, in addition to the appearance of the red pins.
She expressed concern that this could be interpreted as endorsing Hamas’ agenda by questioning Israel’s right to self-defense.