Singer-actor Yoona, a member of K-pop group Girls’ Generation, found herself at the center of controversy at the 77th Cannes Film Festival due to possible racial discrimination by a female security guard.
On May 19, Yoona was excessively restrained as she arrived for the screening of the film “Horizon: An American Saga” and tried to pose for photographers on the red carpet. In a viral video, she is seen momentarily taken aback as the guard blocks her with an arm, urging her to move inside. Yoona quickly regains her composure, smiles and exits.
This same security guard had clashed with more participants throughout the festival, sparking controversy over racial discrimination accusations, as all those restrained were non-white attendees, which ultimately, has led to a lawsuit.
According to reports last week, Ukrainian model Sawa Pontyjska filed a legal complaint against organizers of the Cannes Film Festival, alleging she was assaulted by a security guard on the red carpet.
Her legal complaint reportedly states she was “violently challenged by one of a group of security guards” in front of “thousands of people” and the use of physical force caused “acute pain” while also causing “psychological trauma.”
The Ukrainian model is seeking 100,000 euros (150 million won) in damages, stating that she attempted to contact the organizing committee to demand an apology but received no response.
A video of the incident has garnered over 16 million views on TikTok, with the footage showing a female security guard stopping Pontyjska as she tries to pose at the iconic steps of the Lumiere Grand Theater.
In the video, the guard grabs the model by her waist in an apparent “bear hug” and forcibly drags her into the theater. Pontyjska nearly falls due to the struggle before being ushered inside.
The guard also had confrontations with Kelly Rowland, one of the four original members of Destiny’s Child, who openly criticized the guard, 카지노사이트 stating, “There were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me and they didn’t get scolded or pushed or told to get off.”
Dominican actress Massiel Taveras even got into a physical altercation with the security guard in question.