RAMALLAH: Despite the fact that 122 days have passed since Israel began its brutal aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the support for Palestine and continuous demands for ceasefire still echo around the corners and main stages all over the world, including, the very famous Grammy Awards.
The 66th Grammy Awards were held and aired live on Sunday night at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.
On the rainy Sunday evening, hundreds of pro-Palestine and human rights activists tried to block the roads leading to the 66th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, in protest against the ongoing barbaric Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.
The footage that was surfaced on social media from the protest was shared with the hashtag #ShutItDown4Palestine. Sources added that the protests tried to block individuals from getting into the venue.
Hundreds rally for Palestine outside the Grammy Awards in LA
“Right now: Hundreds in LA rally and prepare to march outside the Grammy Awards for Palestine. A litt
le rain won’t deter the movement!” the Party for Socialism and Liberation wrote in a post on social media, sharing footage from the event.
The local US police prevented the demonstrators, who carried Palestinian flags and banners demanding freedom for Palestine, from arriving at the ceremony of one of the most important music awards in the world, and arrested a number of them as part of their attempts to disperse the protest in the vicinity of the ceremony.
But actual brave stances were about to be taken at the Grammys as Scottish singer-songwriter and political activist Annie Lennox took the stage by storm to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during her performance, becoming the first artist to make such a statement at a major award show.
In the final moments of her performance of late Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” in an in memoriam segment, Lennox raised one of her fists in the air as she shouted to the crowd: “Artists for ceasefire.”
“Peace in the world,” the entertainer, 6
6, said as an image of O’Connor displayed in the background.
Scottish singer calls for ceasefire during Grammy performance
Fans around the world celebrated the artist and cheered her for making such bold statement and honoring O’Connor, who was know for speaking up for the rights of Palestine.
Several other celebrities joined on the calls for peace in Gaza on the Grammys red carpet. The members of American indie supergroup Boygenius; Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, wore pins with the logo for Artists Call for Ceasefire Now, the name of a petition sent to US President Joe Biden and signed by numerous musicians and actors.
The petition include high-profile figures including Jennifer Lopez, Joaquin Phoenix, Janelle Monáe, Dua Lipa and more.
American bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding showed her support for Palestine as well by wearing a kaffiyeh.
Last week, over a thousand singers from Sweden, which is this year’s Eurovision host country, have signed an open letter calling for Israel to b
e excluded from this year’s edition of the song contest over its “brutal warfare in Gaza”.
The letter, which was published in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, said that by allowing Israel to participate, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) “is exhibiting a remarkable double standard that undermines the organisation’s credibility”.
“The fact that countries that place themselves above humanitarian law are welcomed to participate in international cultural events trivialises violations of international law and makes the suffering of the victims invisible,” says the letter, published late on Monday.
The letter comes after a similar petition signed by about 1,400 artists from Finland and Iceland who also called for Israel to be excluded from the song contest, which will be held in Malmö from 7 to 11 May.
Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA