Pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony for Israeli actor Gal Gadot on Tuesday, delaying the event and inciting police response.
Several dozen protesters gathered ahead of the ceremony for the Wonder Woman star, who is an outspoken supporter of the Israeli military. According to Variety, pro-Palestinian protesters held signs that read “Heroes Fight Like Palestinians,” “Viva Viva Palestina” and “No Other Land Won Oscar,” referring to the documentary on Israeli incursions onto Palestinian land in the West Bank that won the award for best documentary this month.
A video posted to X by Variety reporter Katcy Stephan shows protesters chanting “shame on Gal Gadot”. Another showed multiple protesters handcuffed by police. The crowd also shouted: “Up up with liberation, down down with occupation” and “not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crime.” Variety reported that nearly two dozen protesters gathered for each side.
The demonstrations delayed the ceremony by about 15 minutes. Protesters could still be heard as the proceedings got underway, and police were called after a pro-Palestinian protester stole an Israeli flag.
Gadot, who stars as the Evil Queen in Disney’s live-action Snow White, served in the Israeli military and has vocally supported Israel since the 7 October terrorist attacks and subsequent invasion of Gaza, both on social media and in an impassioned speech before the Anti-Defamation League’s annual summit on 4 March. “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 said in her speech.
Speaking to Variety ahead of Tuesday’s ceremony, Gadot described how she became more direct with her politics after the Hamas-led attack on Israeli citizens on 7 October 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 said. “I was shocked by the amount of hate, by the amount of how much people think they know when they actually have no idea, and also by how the media is not fair many times. So I had to speak up.”
“I am all about humanity,” she continued, “and I felt like I had to advocate for the hostages.” As for criticism of her stances, she added: “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.”
Gadot steered clear of the issue during her ceremony, instead thanking Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel, and referring to herself as “just a girl from a town in Israel”.
The demonstrations precede the opening weekend for Snow White, which has faced its own fair share of controversy in the weeks leading up to its release. Speculation of a rift between Gadot and co-star Rachel Zegler, who is vocally pro-Palestine, flared after Disney scaled back last weekend’s world premiere, limiting interviews to in-house, talent-friendly press. Zegler has also received flak for publicly criticizing the original 1937 version of Snow White, and wishing on Instagram that Donald Trump and his voters “know no peace” after the November election. She since apologized.
Gadot is also not the only Disney star to face criticism for their stance on Israel-Palestine. Last month, several dozen pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the Hollywood premiere of Captain America: Brave New World, calling for a boycott of the film over the inclusion of Israeli superhero Ruth Bat-Seraph, aka Sabra, played by Israeli actor Shira Haas.
They held signs with such slogans as “Disney supports genocide.” In a joint letter, some Palestinian cultural groups complained: “By reviving this racist character in any form, Marvel is promoting Israel’s brutal oppression of Palestinians.”
