While the entire world was glued to the Met Gala red carpet, hundreds of pro-Palestine and antiwar protesters were right outside, calling for an end to the horrors that have besieged Gaza for months. In an eerie twist, the clash of protesters with A-list celebs wearing couture made the Met Gala more on theme than even Anna Wintour intended.
As fashion enthusiasts, paparazzi and fans were foaming at the mouth around the Met’s steps, there were reports of a pro-Palestinian protest unfolding near fashion’s biggest event of the year.
According to the New York Post, dozens of protestors — who are shedding light on Israel’s bombardment on Palestinians — were marching towards the event. However they were unable to reach the Met as police in riot gear were in their path, as well as police barricades.
At least two dozen protesters were arrested by police, according to reports.
This year’s Met Gala theme was Garden of Time, inspired by the J.G Ballard short story of the same name. In the story, a rich couple who live in a beautiful villa, packed with lush items and is home to these magical flowers that hold the power to turn back time.
Although the house is gorgeous, outside of its walls, a big angry mob is out to get them. The pair attempt to hold off the mob by using the magic of the flowers. Eventually, they run out of these powerful flowers and the mob descends on the garden, finding it in ruins.
While the red carpet theme is said to match the Met’s exhibition, which is “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”, Garden Of Time is almost a parallel to what happened at the Met Gala today.
As highlighted by The Cut, protestors yelled for the NYC streets, “Free, free Palestine” and “cease-fire now” wearing keffiyehs and bearing the Palestinian flags in hopes of shedding light on the atrocities taking place in Gaza.
But instead of having the important issue rectified or supported by celebrities — who’ve famously used the Met Gala to protest, such as Cara Delevigne‘s “Peg The Patriarchy” harness or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s “Tax The Rich” dress — several protestors were arrested.
It is not known how many protestors were taken into custody — other than CBS News claiming it was more than “two dozen” — but it was reported that the crowd dispersed toward the Plaza Hotel.
Honestly, it was so disappointing that no celebrities uplifted the message for a cease-fire in Gaza. Especially when there have been many other events — such as The Oscars — where celebs took time with the press to shed light on the humanitarian crisis that is continuing to take place.
Hours after the red carpet ended, Israel’s military took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in Gaza. Footage released by the Israeli Defence Forces showed Israeli tanks crossing into the territory.
The news comes 24 hours after Israel evacuated civilians from Rafah.
Since October 7, at least 34,535 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, according to Al Jazeera. More than 75,000 have been wounded. The Israeli death toll remains 1,139.
Image source: AP newsroom / Andres Kudacki and Getty / Dimitrios Kambouri
