The group that first formed to call for a ceasefire launched a new campaign on September 5, 2024, calling on the U.S. to stop sending Israel weapons, citing "grave human rights violations".[5]
History
Artists4Ceasefire was organized on October 20, 2023 as a volunteer organization to advocate for acalling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in theGaza war, the delivery ofhumanitarian aid, and therelease of all hostages taken in the war.[4] That month, 55 artists and entertainment industry members signed an open letter to PresidentJoe Biden as part of the collective demanding a ceasefire.[6][7][8][9] The letter reads: "We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians."[10]
The collective partnered with artistShepard Fairey and several humanitarian organizations, includingOxfam America,ActionAid USA, and theWar Child Alliance.[11] On October 27, 2023, Oxfam America declared its support for the collective via posts and stories on its Instagram account.[12] On November 6, 2023,ActionAid USA released a statement of its support for the collective.[13]
In September 2024, Artists4Ceasefire joined withOxfam America,ActionAid, andShepard Fairey to issue a call to action titled "Stop Weapons, Save Lives".[21] Among those calling for a U.S.arms embargo on Israel areMahershala Ali, Cynthia Nixon, Mark Ruffalo, andIlana Glazer. "Our demand is simple—our elected leaders must enforce existing U.S. and international humanitarian laws that prohibit the use of military assistance to commit grave human rights violations", Ruffalo said.[11][5]
Pin
The Artists4Ceasefire enamel pin depicts an orange hand on a red background. A black heart appears inside the hand. Artists4Ceasefire said the orange hand represents "the beautiful community of people from all backgrounds that have come together in support of centering our shared humanity".[22]Snopes compared the orange hand used in the design to red-hand symbols including theRed Hand of Ulster (a symbol used for the Irish province ofUlster), the symbol forMissing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), and people criticizing Israel as having "blood on its hands" for its actions in Gaza.[22] The Israeli government andNew York Post journalistDavid Kaufman have claimed the hand represents the2000 Ramallah lynching.[22][23][24]Seth Mandel wrote in an editorial inThe Free Press claiming the symbol "is meant to valorize the murderers of Jews".[25]
We are all calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We are calling for the safety of everyone involved and we really want lasting justice and peace for the Palestinian people.
