Celebrities including Steve Coogan, Brian Cox, Joe Lycett and The Crown star Khalid Abdalla came out in support of Palestine at the TV Baftas last night 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 with hands on.
The pins were launched by Artists4Ceasefire, a group of people within the entertainment industry, and are a symbol that is seen as calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
A-list celebrities were slammed by Israeli figures in March for wearing the red pins at the Oscars, as they say the image harks back to the 2000 Ramallah lynching of two Jewish men.
Mr Cox, who starred as Logan Roy in Succession, attended the Baftas alongside his actress wife Nicole Ansari-Cox who was also seen wearing 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 attached to his outfit
Mr Cox wore a red pin which is 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 boyfriend Dodi Fayed in the Netflix show, also held up a clear bag containing 14,000 red sequins to represent every ‘child that has been killed in Gaza’
Poldark actress Sofia Oxenham, The Last Kingdom’s Stefanie Martini, and Luke Rollason and Bilal Hasna of Disney+ series Extraordinary also wore the red pin.
Abdallaa, 43, who played Princess Diana‘s late boyfriend Dodi Fayed in the Netflix show, also held up a clear bag containing 14,000 red sequins to represent every ‘child that has been killed in Gaza’ amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
On his other hand, the star had written ‘Stop arming Israel’ in black marker pen as he posed for photos holding up the sequins.
Taking to social media platform X, Khalid wrote: ‘Every one of these 14,000 sequins is a child that has been killed in Gaza. Multiply that by 2.46 and you get the current death toll, over 34,500.’
Unicef confirmed more than 14,000 children have been killed and 12,000 wounded in Gaza since Hamas’s attacks on Israel on October 7 last year.
It is 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, in reference to the Israel-Hamas war.
Khalid also issued a political statement when calling for a ceasefire at 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 roles 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 sported the red pin. A-list celebrities were previously criticised for wearing the pins at the Oscars
Several celebrities wore these pins at the Oscars, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, representing the ‘Artists4Ceasefire’ movement, a group that advocates for a ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza
Israeli public figures previously slammed A-list celebrities at the Oscars for wearing red hand pins symbolising support for a Gaza ceasefire by ‘Artists4Ceasefire’
As he posed for snaps with his co-star Elizabeth, Khalid revealed writing on his hand in black pen, which read ‘Ceasefire NOW’.
He wrote on Twitter of the message: ‘Because all lives are sacred. Because I believe in the power of the human heart.
‘Because we need to be clear and open and do everything we can for a better world. #CeasefireNow.’
It is a hashtag he has used previously, writing on Remembrance Sunday alongside a picture of Pro-Palestine marchers: ‘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 on Armistice Day. #CeasefireNOW.’
In March, the pins were worn at the Oscars by the likes of Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas, Cord Jefferson, Mark Ruffalo, Ava DuVernay, Ramy Youssef and Quannah Chasinghorse.
‘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,’ the group said in a statement.
Both Noa Tishby and Yoseph Haddad, prominent advocates for Israel, criticised celebrities who wore red Artists4Ceasefire pins at the Oscars.
A protester shows a hand covered in mock blood, as pro-Palestinians supporters gather for an anti-Israeli rally in 2023 to show their solidarity with Gaza people in Palestine square, in Tehran, Iran
Both Noa Tishby and Yoseph Haddad, prominent advocates for Israel, criticised celebrities who wore red Artists4Ceasefire pins at the Oscars
Tishby and Haddad have been actively involved in international advocacy efforts, discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with politicians, student and the public.
According to Haddad, this movement emerged in response to yellow pins advocating 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, which call for the return of Israeli hostages, alongside the emergence of the red pins.
She expressed concern that this could be interpreted as endorsing Hamas’s agenda by questioning Israel’s right to self-defense.