Intruder Tackled at Met Gala as Stars Arrive

A intruder was tackled by police and security as he attempted to rush the steps where A-listers and  walked the red carpet on Monday night.

The man attempted to jump over the barricades in order to rush the steps of the star-studded event which was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

He was wearing a denim jacket, black bandana and sunglasses and his efforts to gatecrash the red carpet fell flat as he was seen being escorted away.

Several NYPD police officers restrained him while at the carpet entrance before he could get in.

E! reporter Zuri Hall described the moment as 'chaos' as all the commotion interrupted some of the interviews that were taking place on the carpet.

It's unknown whether the unnamed individual was a part of protests regarding the event.

Fury surrounded this year's Met over the involvement of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, 62, and his wife Lauren Sanchez, 56, who bankrolled much of the spectacle.

In the 24 hours before the Gala began, activists employed disgusting manoeuvers in a last-ditch attempt at a boycott, as baskets containing plastic water bottles were installed outside the museum, urging passersby to urinate in them.

Above the stash, a sign read: 'The Met Gala VIP toilet. Installed in honor of Met Gala chair Jeff Bezos. Go ahead, it's good enough for his staff.'

The stunt was meant to draw attention to Amazon's treatment of its workers.

Everyone Hates Elon, the campaign group behind the move, claims employees at Bezos's corporation are forced to urinate in bottles because they are not allowed time to take toilet breaks.

On Sunday, protest messages were projected on to Bezos's apartment block as well as the city's biggest landmarks, including the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building.

'Boycott the Bezos Met Gala,' read one of the projections, while another said, 'no red carpet for Trump's billionaires'.

Video messages from Amazon workers were also emblazoned onto Bezos's penthouse on Fifth Avenue.

Again, the stunt was organized by the anti-billionaire campaign group, funded by 1,000 donors worldwide, and supported by current and former Amazon workers.

A spokesman for Everyone Hates Elon said: 'Amazon founder and oligarch Jeff Bezos just finished his Met Gala pre-party at his penthouse and is getting ready for the big night.

'We couldn't let him get away with using celebrity and fashion to hide his crimes. We're exposing them instead.'

Amazon previously faced accusations that its workers were forced to urinate in bottles in 2021.

At the time, they said they were aware of the issues.

'We know that drivers can and do have trouble finding restrooms because of traffic or sometimes rural routes, and this has been especially the case during Covid when many public restrooms have been closed,' a spokesperson said.

They added the problem was 'a long-standing, industry-wide issue' and that they 'would like to solve it'.

Bezos and Sanchez were announced as honorary co-chairmen and lead sponsors of this year's Met Gala in February.

Some fashion enthusiasts consider the quid pro quo a stain on the affair, which originally highlighted philanthropy.

It has been claimed they shelled out $10 million to get in on the event.

Backlash over this year's Met Gala started to build weeks ago, when protest posters were pasted on the boarded-up entrance of the now-closed Daona Deli.

The giant posters bore two very bold messages. The first showed what appeared to be a plastic water bottle filled with urine on a red carpet in front of flashing camera lights.

'The Bezos Met Gala,' the sign read. 'Brought to you by worker exploitation.'

A large, bright red poster next to it displayed an even more scathing message in bold white letters, reading, 'Boycott the Bezos Met Gala.'

Underneath, in smaller font, the poster shared a message that said: 'There's no dressing it up.