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A female security guard who clashed with several celebrities at this year's Cannes Film Festival is making headlines again after footage emerged of her appearing to put another star in a bear hug.
The unidentified security guard has faced online backlash after getting into separate heated altercations with high-profile guests, including Dominican actor Maciel Taveras, former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland and K-pop star Yuna.
The latest video was posted by Ukrainian model and Miss Europe 2023 Sawa Pontyska, who attended the festival last week.
Multiple videos circulated on social media and shared by Pontiska on TikTok and Instagram show the model struggling with the same female security guard, who had her arm around her. The two wrestled back and forth at the top of a red-carpeted staircase, with Pontiska falling to the floor at one point. She also tried to run down the stairs but was blocked by other officers.
A female security guard's colleague previously Daily Mail She said she was “just doing her job,” but many online have called for her to be fired.
In a video that resurfaced this week, Yuna, who was in the K-pop group Girls' Generation before becoming an actress, is seen being approached by a security guard and prevented from being photographed. The guard holds her arms outstretched, making it difficult for the actress to stand and wave to fans.
Despite being on the move, the actress, whose real name is Lim Yoon Ah, appears surprised and uncomfortable during the exchange.
In a video posted last week, Rowland, 43, can be seen berating the security guard after a heated argument, after she, who is black, pointed out that other women on the carpet who “don't look much like me” had not been given the same treatment.
“That woman knows what happened, and I know what happened,” Rowland told The Associated Press. “I have boundaries and I stick to those boundaries, and that's it. There were other women on that carpet who look nothing like me.
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“And they weren't scolded or pushed or told to get off. I stood my ground and she felt like she had to stand her ground, but I stood my ground.”
During the altercation with Maciel Taveras, the same security guard was seen putting his arms around the TV presenter's head and chest, trying to let her in. Taveras then turned around and appeared to put his hands on the security guard's face in retaliation, shoving her away.
Taveras, who has appeared in films including “The Other Penelope,” reposted Rowland's article about the same red carpet security guard on her own Instagram Story, later saying she responded strongly because she was “sick of the harassment.”
She called out Rowland in an Instagram post, writing, “I'm impressed with how your sister handled it. I had no idea this was the first time this would happen to you. I'm so impressed with how calm and classy your sister was, because in my case I was tired of the abuse. Black women matter. We will not be silent in situations like this. We deserve respect.”
A colleague of the security guard told the Daily Mail that she was “just doing her job” and that the usher was believed to be a local French woman on a short-term contract with the festival.
A source told the Mail that security staff were “working under enormous pressure” to keep people moving on the carpet, and said allegations of racism and discrimination were “absurd”.
Independent An email was sent to the Cannes Film Festival seeking comment on the cases of Pontisca, Yuna, Taveras and Roland.
