The Los Angeles Police Department is on a citywide “tactical alert” Sunday in light of protests targeting the Academy Awards in Hollywood, authorities confirmed.
“A Dispersal Order was issued in the area of Sunset Boulevard and Cherokee Avenue for Unlawful Assembly,” the department said on X, formerly Twitter. “Stay away from the area.”
Reports across social media claimed that pro-Palestine groups marched across the area, just blocks from where Hollywood’s biggest stars gathered for this year’s Oscars red carpet festivities near the Dolby Theatre.
The protests come from various pro-Palestine groups calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, where the Israeli military has been on the offensive in response to a Hamas-led attack in October. Earlier this week, LAPD suggested that at least one group was leading an effort to “stop” the prestigious awards ceremony, according to reporting from the Los Angeles Times.
Those suspicions were justified as several groups, including Writers Against the War on Gaza LA (WAWOG), Film Workers For Palestine, SAG-AFTRA for Ceasefire and others announced plans in a statement to stage demonstrations seeking to “disrupt the Oscars.”
“As Hollywood celebrates itself at the Oscars, film and entertainment workers are being silenced with chilling McCarthyite censorship and blacklisting of those who show support for Palestinian freedom and against Israeli genocide, apartheid and occupation,” a joint statement from several groups read in part. “We applaud the artists who’ve taken career risks by posting, wearing a ceasefire pin, or signing petitions, but we invite them now to up the ante in light of what Palestinians have lost, to use their platforms loudly and push back against an industry that silences dissent, especially against genocide.”
There were no confirmed reports of injuries or violence as of 3 p.m. Sunday.