A ceremony unveiling Israeli actor Gal Gadot’s star on the Hollywood ‘Walk of Fame’ was crashed by pro-Palestinian protesters denouncing the actor’s support for Israel and calling for an end to the war on Gaza.
Videos online show several dozen protesters holding placards reading “Heroes Fight Like Palestinians”, “Viva Viva Palestina”, and “No Other Land Won Oscar” outside the Hollywood boulevard, which was tented off for the ceremony.
The protesters arrived just before the ceremony began.
“Up, up with liberation, down down with occupation”, “not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crime”, and “shame on Gal Gadot”, were among the slogans chanted by the protesters as police encircled the area and a group of pro-Israel counter-protestors waved Israeli flags.
Police arrived at the scene after a pro-Palestine protester allegedly stole an Israeli flag from one of the opposing protesters.
A video posted by a reporter from Variety shows LA police chasing a protester, while another video shows multiple demonstrators being handcuffed, however the LAPD told The Times that no arrests were made.
While an image has circulated claiming that the Israeli actor’s star was destroyed, the image is actually an old one showing current US President Donald Trump’s star, which was vandalised in 2020.
A sponsorship fee of $75,000 has to be paid by an actor nominated for a star, for its creation, installation, and maintenance.
Gadot ‘stands with Israel’
The Israeli actor, who has previously served in the Israeli military, has often been targeted by protesters for her pro-Israel statements.
After the 7 October attacks, Gadot posted the message “I stand with Israel” and organised a screening of a film about the events in Los Angeles.
Pro-Palestinian activists have called for boycotts of movies featuring and starring the actress, including DC’s Wonder Woman and, most recently, Disney’s Snow White, where Gadot plays the Evil Queen.
In an interview with Variety, the actor said she is an “indigenous person of Israel” while talking about her grandfather, who arrived there following the Holocaust.
Regarding her pro-Israeli support, the actor said: “When your compass is clear, your conscience is clean. I know what I’m advocating for, and I know what I wish for the world.”
The interview was met with backlash from users online, who pointed out the hypocrisy in Gadot’s comments and condemned Variety for the profile.
One user wrote: “Gaslighting promax! There is nothing ‘indigenous’ about the Zionist state of Israel… Gal Gadot has served in the IDF & supported it vocally including participating in fundraisers for the child murdering entity – there is nothing clean about that conscience.”
“Gal Gadot crying about how the media is unfair to her is so infuriating because at a time where her people broke a ceasefire to bomb a camp holding displaced families, Variety was releasing an article centring her feelings,” another user said.
Her Snow White co-star Rachel Zegler has meanwhile called for a free Palestine and ceasefire in Gaza on X.
