• Attendees of the 96th Oscars were seen exiting their vehicles as pro-Palestine protestors crowded the street in Los Angeles
• The singer-songwriter posted a faceless photo to Instagram, simply captioned ‘traffic’
• The award ceremony itself began five minutes late due to the gridlock 

The Oscars ceremony was delayed by five minutes as Hollywood’s biggest stars were forced to abandon their vehicles and walk to the venue after pro-Palestine protesters blocked their route.

Video posted to X, formerly Twitter, showed activists blocking the roads leading to the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles where the 96th Academy Awards are being held on Sunday.

Protesters were seen at the intersection of Highland Avenue and De Longpre Avenue, prompting a line of black Escalades to stop dead in their tracks. 

One protestor displayed a sign reading ‘The Oscars sponsored by baby killers,’ while another sign read ‘Hollywood’s silence is violence.’ 

Singer-songwriter Ariana Grande took to Instagram, posting a faceless photo of her diamond-encrusted necklace and frilly pink dress with the caption ‘traffic.’

Advocates linked arms and took up a chant, calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Los Angeles Police Department officers ran towards the scene, where protestors shouted and beat drums.

Riot police ushered protestors away from the intersection, apprehending some and letting others go. As the demonstrators continued to chant, stalled vehicles began to pass through.

Production staffers and publicists on the red carpet expressed a ‘growing sense of anxiety’ due to the gridlock, Variety reported.

Hordes of celebrities made an appearance as the Oscars pre-show drew to a close. The ceremony itself began five minutes late.

The protest was organized by a coalition of artists and film workers in collaboration with Writers Against the War on Gaza LA, Film Workers for Palestine, SAG-AFTRA Members for Ceasefire and other groups. 

Ahead of the demonstration, Film Workers for Palestine published a statement on social media in conjunction with Jewish Voice for Peace’s Los Angeles chapter.

‘We will not be distracted by the entertainment industry,’ the post read, urging people to meet at the Cinerama Dome at 1pm PT.

‘We WILL continue to call for a permanent ceasefire and Palestinian liberation. Let’s mobilize and take the streets to show that we refuse to look away from this ongoing genocide! Ceasefire NOW!’

The statement noted that the Oscars were scheduled for the first night of Ramadan, during which the Israeli armed forces planned to storm Rafah.

President Joe Biden told MSNBC on Saturday that he could not accept ‘30,000 more Palestinians dead’ and called the invasion of Rafah – the last place Gazan civilians have as shelter – a ‘red line’ for him.

He then backtracked, saying there was no red line and professing his commitment to Israel.

In a separate interview, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to go ahead with the invasion.

‘We’ll go there,’ he told Politico. ‘We’re not going to leave. You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is, that October 7 doesn’t happen again. Never happens again.’