Political protesters disrupt Gal Gadot’s Walk of Fame ceremony.
Pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protestors disrupted Israeli actor Gal Gadot's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on Tuesday, delaying it and prompting a police response.
Several hundred protesters gathered before the Wonder Woman star's ceremony, as she is an outspoken supporter of the Israeli military. According to Variety, pro-Palestinian demonstrators carried posters reading "Heroes Fight Like Palestinians," "Viva Viva Palestina," and "No Other Land Won Oscar," all referring to the documentary on Israeli intrusions into Palestinian land in the West Bank that received the award for best documentary this month.
Variety writer Katcy Stephan shared a video of demonstrators yelling "shame on Gal Gadot" on X. Another image showed several demonstrators handcuffed by police. The people were also shouting: "Up up with liberation, down down with occupation" in addition to "not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel's crime". According to Variety, approximately two dozen demonstrators gathered on each side.
The demonstrations pushed the event back by nearly 15 minutes. Protesters could still be heard as the hearings began, and police were summoned after a pro-Palestinian demonstrator stole an Israeli flag.
Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen in Disney's live-action Snow White, served in the Israeli military and has been a vocal supporter of Israel since the terrorist attacks on October 7 and subsequent invasion of Gaza, both on social media and in an impassioned speech before the Anti-Defamation League's annual summit on March 4. "Never did I imagine that on the streets of the United States, and different cities around the world, we would see people not condemning Hamas, but celebrating, justifying and cheering on a massacre of Jews," she remarked when she spoke.
Speaking to Variety ahead of Tuesday's celebration, Gadot said how she became more forthright with her politics during the Hamas-led attack on Israeli citizens on October 7, 2023. "When people were abducted from their homes, from their beds, men, women, children, elderly, Holocaust survivors, were going through the horrors of what happened that day, I could not be silent," she told me. "I was astounded by the amount of hatred, how much people believe they know when they really don't, and how often the media is unfair. So I needed to speak up."
"I am all about humanity," she told me, "and I felt like I had to advocate for the hostages." Regarding criticism of her stances, she stated, "When your compass is clear, your conscience is clean." I know what I'm advocating for and what I want for the world.
During her ceremony, Gadot avoided the subject, instead thanking Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and Fast & Furious star Vin Diesel and referring to herself as "just a girl from a town in Israel".
The demonstrations come ahead of Snow White's opening weekend, which has been fraught with controversy in the weeks preceding its release. Speculation of a schism between Gadot and co-star Rachel Zegler, who is strongly pro-Palestine, arose when Disney shortened last weekend's world premiere, limiting interviews to in-house, talent-friendly press. Zegler has also come under fire for publicly disparaging the original 1937 version of Snow White and wishing on Instagram that Donald Trump and his supporters "know no peace" following the November election. She has since apologized.
Gadot is not the only Disney celebrity who has received criticism for her views on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Last month, several dozen pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the Hollywood premiere of Captain America: Brave New World, asking for a boycott of the film due to the presence of Israeli superhero Ruth Bat-Seraph, AKA Sabra, played by Israeli actress Shira Haas.
They brandished placards with inscriptions like "Disney Supports Genocide." In a joint letter, numerous Palestinian cultural groups stated that "by reviving this racist character in any form, Marvel is promoting Israel's brutal oppression of Palestinians."