Protest at the BRIT Awards: Jacob Alon raises Palestinian scarf and more

It was a politically charged night at Saturday's 46th annual BRIT Awards.

Scottish singer-songwriter Jacob Alon held a Palestinian scarf during the ceremony as Sharon Osbourne took the stage. Osbourne was accepting the BRITs Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of her late husband, Ozzy Osbourne.

Alon's scarf was a black-and-white-patterned keffiyeh, a traditional Middle Eastern headdress often used to symbolise Palestinian solidarity.

Sharon Osbourne has been vocal in her support of Israel. Last year, she called for the revocation of KNEECAP's U.S. work visas in response to their pro-Palestine messaging during their Coachella set.

Alon, who won the BRITs Critics' Choice Award, was not alone in their protest.

Olivia Dean stated "free Palestine" during an acceptance speech, but her statement was muted by ITV. Dean took home four awards on Saturday, including Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for The Art of Loving.

In his acceptance speech for International Group of the Year, Geese drummer Max Bassin kept his remarks short, saying, "Free Palestine, fuck ICE."

On the red carpet, the rise of right-wing politics was a talking point for many artists, including CMAT, who was nominated for International Artist of the Year.

"Everything is politics," she said. "But more than ever, art is politics because you don’t get to make art in a fascist state. Fascism is on the rise in every single country in the world."

Before winning Group of the Year, Wolf Alice bassist Theo Ellis expressed similar views, stating, "The rise of Reform is a really bad thing that people should take very seriously."

"I don’t want Reform UK to win any seats," echoed Wet Leg guitarist Joshua Omead Mobaraki.

Wet Leg frontwoman Rhian Teasdale expressed disdain for the separation of art and politics: "I think that to be apolitical is political."