Halsey and Avan Jogia make Gaza plea, hold ‘Stop the Genocide in Gaza’ at Venice

Halsey, Avan Jogia and others held a ‘Stop the Genocide in Gaza’ sign at Venice Festival while glam walks on.

The 2025 Venice International Film Festival became a powerful platform for solidarity this week, when Halsey, Avan Jogia and several other artists staged a pointed protest right in the heart of the red-carpet glow. The couple, along with others, held up a banner demanding an end to the genocide in Gaza, and the statement hit harder because of the backdrop.

The demonstration came at a time when thousands of pro-Palestinian activists were already mobilising in Venice. On August 30, an estimated three to four thousand people marched near the festival, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Stop the Genocide!” and “Free Palestine,” carrying signs like “You are all an audience to genocide”. It was part of a broader push by the Venice4Palestine collective, which released an open letter signed by over 2,000 film professionals, including Guillermo del Toro, urging the festival to condemn what they called ethnic cleansing and apartheid.

Against this charged atmosphere, Halsey and Avan’s move stood out. Their decision to hold a “Stop the Genocide in Gaza” banner at such a high-profile event took visible courage, especially within festival spaces often characterized by glamour over grievance. Footage from the scene circulated rapidly online, with many viewers calling their act "brave," "meaningful," and a rare infusion of substance into red carpet headlines.

The festival’s leadership has maintained a nonpartisan stance. Artistic director Alberto Barbera affirmed Venice as a “cultural space, not political,” even while mourning civilian suffering in Gaza. Jury president Alexander Payne echoed that sentiment, emphasising that films document rather than change the world, even while welcoming Palestinian storytelling through films like The Voice of Hind Rajab.

Still, Halsey and Jogia’s protest, and the larger presence of artists and filmmakers raising their voices, pushed the festival beyond its artistic confines. Exacting attention from viewers worldwide, their act made the red carpet a channel for solidarity, and reminded cinematic spaces that cultural platforms should not shy away from humanity’s harsh realities.