As celebrities began walking the Oscars red carpet on Sunday afternoon, several hundred protesters chanted “Cease-fire now” and “Long live Palestine” in front of the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, a closed movie theater about a mile away from the Dolby Theater, where the awards ceremony is being held.
The protesters then marched down Sunset Boulevard, voicing their opinions about the Israel-Hamas war as car horns honked, a helicopter hovered overhead and Los Angeles police officers in riot gear watched nearby.
Smaller groups of protesters also gathered closer to the Dolby Theater.
“With people from across the globe watching the Academy Awards, this is a Hail Mary opportunity,” said Anthony Bryson, an organizer of the larger protest.
He added: “What’s happening in Gaza needs to have attention drawn to it. We wanted to bring as much resistance and visibility as possible.”
Laura Delhauer, an independent filmmaker who held a cardboard sign that read “Free Palestine,” said she hoped the protest would put pressure on the U.S. government to end the conflict.
“I’m heartbroken to know that our hard-earned tax dollars are going to pay for the murder of innocent civilians,” she said.
The protest was organized by groups including Film Workers for Palestine and SAG-AFTRA Members for Ceasefire. “There will be no awards amid a genocide,” the groups said in a social media post advertising the event.
Shortly after the protest began, a man dressed in a dark blue suit stood across the street holding both a United States flag and an Israeli flag. After a brief verbal altercation, protesters grabbed the Israeli flag and threw it into the street. The man walked away, surrounded by volunteer safety officers who had been brought in by protest organizers.
The Golden Globes, Emmys and Grammys included few references to the war, as celebrities grappled with how to express their views of the conflict. But some attendees at the Oscars, including the singer Billie Eilish and the actor Ramy Youssef, wore red pins that call for a cease-fire.
“The pin symbolizes collective support for an immediate and permanent cease-fire, the release of all of the hostages and for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,” Artists4Ceasefire, a group of celebrities and members of the entertainment industry who signed an open letter, said in a news release.
The nearly 400 signatories include Bradley Cooper and America Ferrera, who are both Oscar nominees.
Callie Holtermann contributed reporting.
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