CAMPAIGNERS have taken action at the Scottish Bafta Awards, handing letters to guests urging them to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The group Arts Workers for Palestine Scotland went to the red carpet event in Glasgow
The group also held a vigil across the road from the Hilton Hotel where the ceremony is held this year.
The group pointed to the deaths of journalists and media workers in the besieged Gaza strip as they urged those attending to use their platform to call for a ceasefire and an end to Israeli occupation.
Among the attendees were First Minister Humza Yousaf and his wife, Nadia El Nakla, as well as Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. All have called for a ceasefire, with El-Nakla attending an international summit in Istanbul calling for a ceasefire in Gaza earlier this week.
Actor Amir El-Masry (above left) was seen with ‘#ceasefirenow’ written on his hand, whilst Scottish drag queen Lawerence Chaney (above right), best known for winning the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, held up a sign supporting the ceasefire, given to them by activists.
The letters handed out to the guests at the BAFTAs read: "Dear BAFTA Scotland guest, "The genocide, ethnic cleansing and occupation of the people of Palestine is ongoing. In the last 41 days alone, horrors enacted by Israeli Occupation Forces and supported by Western governments have killed over 12,000 people in Gaza, over 5000 of whom are children. "At least 39 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed in the past 42 days. Film-makers and journalists have died to ensure this genocide is documented, to evidence the atrocities; to ensure that the world hears the voices of Palestinians. They died making footage that people in your industry may use to make a Bafta winning retrospective on Palestine in ten years time. As media producers, film-makers and journalists, we are asking you to show solidarity to your fellow workers in Palestine and take a stand.
"The Film and TV industry holds immense power - to uphold, or to disrupt narratives of oppression, to amplify the voices of those who are being systematically silenced and erased.
"We are begging and imploring you to break the silence, to use your platform; to raise your voice. The importance is in speaking out now regardless of the backlash you think you might face.
The producers of A Long Winter have urged filmmakers to use their voice to "pressure institutions and government" to call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Scottish Bafta Awards pic.twitter.com/TRootNEjU6
— The National (@ScotNational) November 19, 2023
The producers of “A Long Winter" urged filmmakers to use their voices and "put pressure on our institutions and our governments".
Eilidh Munro and Finlay Pretsell took time in their winners speech to hold up a poster given to them by campaigners outside on the red carpet. The pair won the Scottish Bafta award in the category for Best Short Film and Animation.
