Park City • Carrying a big banner reading “Ceasefire Now,” dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters marched down Park City’s Main Street on Sunday, taking advantage of the spotlight of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
A couple of celebrities, attending Sundance to promote their movies, also took part in the march.
Indya Moore, the transgender star of FX’s series “Pose,” took to the mic and likened the pro-Palestinian movement to how the LGBTQ community has fought for its rights.
“All of our movements have always been about love,” said Moore, whose movie “Ponyboi” premiered at Sundance on Saturday night. “That’s how we got free. That’s how queer people got free. It’s about love, it’s about unity, it’s about respect. ... Free Palestine, it’s ... equality for everybody.”
(Alex Vejar | The Salt Lake Tribune) A woman flashes a peace sign during a pro-Palestinian protest that drew dozens of marchers down Park City's Main Street during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Jan. 21, 2024.
Another celebrity marching Sunday was actor Melissa Barrera, who was let go from the “Scream” horror franchise in November after posting pro-Palestinian statements on social media that were considered by producers to be antisemitic.
Some protesters Sunday held signs that read “Ethnic cleansing is not self-defense,” “There is no such thing as a justified genocide” and “Let Gaza live.”
A smaller group of counter-protesters stood on Main, led by a man waving an Israeli flag, chanting “free Gaza from Hamas,” referring to the Palestinian group whose Oct. 7 attacks on Israel sparked the current war. The group also chanted, “bring them home, ceasefire tomorrow,” referring to the hostages being held by Hamas militants.
(Alex Vejar | The Salt Lake Tribune) A small group of counter-protesters — one waving an Israeli flag — react to a pro-Palestinian protest that drew dozens of marchers down Park City's Main Street during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Jan. 21, 2024.
The groups that organized Sunday’s protest said they chose Sundance as their venue because of the festival’s track record for highlighting diverse voices in storytelling.
“Sundance Film Festival is one of the largest indie film festivals and continues to pride itself as a space for diverse voices,” the group Arabs in Utah wrote in a news release. “We want to showcase through our demonstration that art, such as film, can be used as a medium for resistance.”
On Friday, a quieter event — an invite-only “evening of solidarity” for the hostages, survivors and families affected by the Oct. 7 attacks — was held in Park City. That event’s guest list included actor Emmanuelle Chriqui and comedian Daniel-Ryan Spaulding, as well as relatives of hostages taken by Hamas.
