France’s César Awards — the country’s equivalent of the Oscars — was disrupted Friday evening by a climate change protestor who crashed the stage in the middle of the live national broadcast.
The female protestor appeared about mid-way through the 48th annual Césars ceremony at Olympia Hall in Paris, shortly after presenters including actor Ahmed Sylla had taken the stage. While the protestor didn’t say anything, she wore a t-shirt that read, in English, “We have 761 days left.”
Bah du coup si cette image dérange on va la partager, n’est-ce pas @canalplus ? #cesar2023 pic.twitter.com/EvkaGzVgAf
— Sandrine Chesnel (@SChesnel) February 24, 2023
The broadcast cut to a title card as Ahmed Sylla — who is a popular French actor and comic — started laughing as he walked off-camera with his co-presenter.
La reaction d’Ahmed Sylla ME TERMINE 😭 #Cesar2023 pic.twitter.com/CObYUPaoN5
— Pearja ἵ (@Pearja_) February 24, 2023
The protestor was later carried off the stage.
Épisode censuré, plus fort qu’eux #cesars2023 #canal pic.twitter.com/9YKRHDco5d
— Pascale Clark (@PascaleClark) February 24, 2023
The radical French climate change group Dernière Rénovation later took credit for the disruption, identifying the protestor only as “Nina.” The activist group believes that unless society takes significant action against climate change within the next three to four years, civilization is doomed.
ACTION EN COURS
Nina, citoyenne soutenant Dernière Rénovation interrompt la 48e cérémonie des #Cesar2023 en direct sur la scène de l’Olympia, ce vendredi 24 février.
Cet événement marque la reprise d’action pour la campagne de résistance civile.
#DerniereRenovation [1] pic.twitter.com/AcMMFooKTs
— Dernière Rénovation (@derniere_renov) February 24, 2023
Ahmed Sylla was later criticized on social media for appearing to laugh at the climate protestor. But the actor explained in a tweet that his reaction was a result of stage fright and not knowing who the protestor was. “We are all worried about the environment,” he tweeted.
Bonsoir Nils, nous sommes tous concernés par l’écologie, le trac l’adrénaline, le silence de la jeune femme, le direct, je ne savais pas ce pour quoi elle militait 🏾♂️ voilà tout no offense. Bonne soirée 😇 https://t.co/5OKGBitXYy
— Ahmed Sylla (@Ahmed_Sylla) February 24, 2023
Among the celebrities present at Friday’s ceremony was Brad Pitt, who presented a career award to director David Fincher. Other stars present included Juliette Binoche, Monica Bellucci, and Virginie Efira.
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