TIME and again Hollywood stars have taken to the stages of the biggest award shows in the world to speak up about political and social issues close to their hearts. Last night was one of the biggest nights in Hollywood — the Golden Globes were held, and we expected to see at least a few people touching upon the brutal Israeli bombardment of Gaza that has wreaked havoc for over three months.
However, no prominent figures voiced the pain and misery of the nearly 23,000 killed and 60,000 wounded, with a majority being women and children.
No major voices were heard calling for a ceasefire or condemning the ruthless aggression Israel has been inflicting on the tiny strip since October 7.
Expecting stars to shed light on the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip wasn’t an unreasonable expectation because Hollywood has set a precedent when it comes to speaking up, which makes the silence on Gaza even more deafening.
From strongly opposing Russia’s war on Ukraine in recent years to bringing forth the plight of Native Americans decades ago, we have seen the massive reach these award shows provide to Western celebrities’ voices.
The double standards become even more evident when we compare how these awards themselves have provided space and a platform to take a stance during political conflicts. In 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a surprise video appearance at the Grammys, appealing to viewers to support his country “in any way you can”.
“What is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people,” said Zelenskiy in the video that introduced John Legend’s performance of ‘Free’ and featured Ukrainian musicians as well as a reading by Ukrainian poet Lyuba Yakimchuck.
On the other hand, the BBC edited out multiple calls for a ceasefire in Gaza from the Scottish Bafta Awards ceremony in November, including the presentation of an entire award, the National reported.
Director Eilidh Munro, who won the award for best Short Film and Animation, told guests to “put pressure on institutions and our government” and to “use your voice as filmmakers and artists” while her colleague Finlay Pretsell held up a poster, which read: “I refuse to be silent. Ceasefire now.”
The speech was seen by viewers on the livestream produced by Bafta Scotland and shared widely online but the entire award-giving has been removed from the BBC iPlayer’s edit, The National stated.
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