Ghouta Celebrity Letter

In late February 2018, the UN passed a resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire over eastern Ghouta. The area had been under bombardment by Syrian and Russian forces, which had subjected it to a chemical weapons attack, in addition to wave after wave of strikes. People were living in the most appalling conditions and we knew that immediate action was needed to force the UN to uphold the ceasefire.

We wrote a letter calling on the UN to do that and urging them not to forget the people of Syria. We contacted celebrities we knew who campaign on Syria and asked them if they wanted to sign, hoping that their endorsement would secure media coverage of the letter. Several A-list names signed on, including Riz Ahmed, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Annie Lennox. The UK newspaper the Guardian published the letter in full and we shared it widely on our social media channels. Although the ceasefire didn’t hold, our letter was successful in drawing people’s attention to the situation in Ghouta and generating outrage online.