The Red Pins Seen at the Oscars Are a Rallying Cry for Peace

At last night’s Oscars, several stars wore matching red pins. The pins weren’t just a fashion choice, though: they were a statement of solidarity with the innocent people suffering because of the Israel/Hamas war.

Mark Ruffalo, Billie Eilish, Ramy Youssef, Mahershala Ali, and other celebrities wore circular red pins with a black heart in the center, surrounded by a hand. These pins signaled the wearers’ support for Artists4Ceasefire, a movement of actors, musicians, and other artists calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Israel and Palestine. The pin bears a resemblance to both the hamsa, a sacred symbol shared by Jews and Muslims, and the red poppy, which symbolizes Palestinian lives lost.

“The pin symbolizes collective support for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the release of all of the hostages and for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza,” Artists4Ceasefire said in a press release.

Ruffalo also expressed his support for a ceasefire on his Instagram page. “We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings in support of an immediate and permanent ceasefire, a release of all of the hostages and humanitarian aid to the millions of civilians in Gaza.”

The Artists4Ceasefire website contains an open letter to President Biden, along a list of artists who support the movement and a list of ways people can take action. “We ask that, as President of the United States, you and the US Congress call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost,” the organization states in its open letter. “More than 30,000 people have been killed over the last 5 months, and over 69,000 injured* – numbers that any person of conscience knows are catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.” (Note: the asterisk references a footnote on the original website.)

Celebrities sporting the red pins weren’t the only ones calling for a ceasefire. Jonathan Glazer called for an end to the violence in Gaza in his acceptance speech for Best International Feature Film for The Zone of Interest. Meanwhile, outside the Dolby Theater, where the Oscars were held, protestors on the street spoke out for a ceasefire.

(featured image: Sarah Morris/WireImage)