The Academy Museum has canceled plans for a red carpet ahead of its annual fundraising gala “out of respect for the devastating conflict and loss of life” happening amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The gala itself is still set to take place on Saturday evening, with no formal press coverage of arrivals beforehand.
The announcement was made by the Academy Museum on Thursday afternoon in a statement to red carpet press members.
“The Academy Museum condemns all forms of hate and cruelty and stands in support of innocent Israeli and Palestinian lives affected by the ongoing violence,” the statement reads. “Out of respect for the devastating conflict and loss of life happening overseas, the Academy Museum has made the decision to cancel the red carpet at its annual fundraising gala on Saturday, October 14. We thank you for your interest in covering and hope to be able to accommodate you at next year’s event.”
Despite ongoing tensions in Hollywood amid the SAG-AFTRA strike, which will continue through the coming weeks after talks between the guild and major studios fell apart Wednesday evening, the Academy Museum Gala has been full steam ahead after receiving permission to move forward from both the then-striking WGA and actors guild in August.
The event would’ve marked one of the few major red carpets featuring screen actors since the beginning of the SAG-AFTRA strike in July. This year’s gala honorees include Meryl Streep, Michael B. Jordan, Oprah Winfrey and Sofia Coppola. Other notable attendees on the invite list include Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Goldie Hawn and more.
On Saturday, the Palestinian militant movement Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing more than 1,000 people and capturing at least 100 hostages. The Israeli government has retaliated by cutting off electricity and water to the population of Gaza and launching air strikes on the region.
“We are fighting against human animals,” said Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, calling for a “complete siege” on Gaza. On Thursday, the Ministry of Health in Palestine shared that the death toll has reached 1,417 people as a result of Israel’s military retaliation.