.Just when you thought Javier Bardem couldn’t get cooler, he took his activism to the Oscars

panish actor Javier Bardem has never shied away from owning his activism and that activism was on full display at this year’s Oscars ceremony.

From his outfit to his words, Bardem, a longtime anti-war activist, used his celebrity to advocate for a great cause: the end of war and freedom for Palestinians.

Photo: Reuters
He wore a Palestine pin and a pin saying “No A La Guerra” or no to war on the lapel of his jacket. The anti-war pin was the same one he wore to the Goya Awards in 2003, during the Iraq war.

But unlike many other stars who chose to wear pins or make statements with fashion alone, Bardem used his platform to speak up as well.

Calling both the Iraq war and the one on Iran today “illegal”, he told The Hollywood Reporter it was created by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with “another lie”.

“They are radicalising the regime with their horrific actions, so that’s not the reason [as] it was not the reason ‘weapons of mass destruction’ in 2003,” he said.

He described his second pin as “Palestine’s symbol of resistance”.

While presenting the award for Best International Feature alongside Priyanka Chopra — someone who has not spoken against war or for Palestine and looked quite uncomfortable — his words were succinct: “No to war, and free Palestine”.Variety noted that his words were met with a “big round of applause”. In a followup interview with the publication, he said he did it because “it is important to understand and bring awareness that you can do both — you can be part of the movie-making community, which is an important community, and also be a citizen who uses this huge speaker to denounce injustice. In this case, it is the genocide of Palestine that is still going on.”He also called out the ceasefire in Palestine, saying since it had gone into effect, 600 people had been murdered, half of them children. “What is going on in the West Bank, the abuse of civil rights, and human rights and the ethnic cleansing that is happening in the West Bank is horrible and we are not talking about it enough,” he said.

He also spoke about the “illegal war”, once again referring to the joint US-Israeli war on Iran. He said the intention was not to “defeat the regime”, it was about the oil, and that innocent people were being bombed.

This isn’t the first time Bardem has used his platform to talk about human rights violations. In fact, he’s been one of the most consistent celebrities to speak about Palestine. At September’s Emmy Awards, he wore a Palestinian Keffiyeh around his neck and called for sanctions on Israel, denouncing the genocide in Gaza.Here I am today, denouncing the genocide in Gaza,” Bardem told Variety without mincing words. “I am talking about the IAGS, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, who study genocide thoroughly and has declared it is a genocide. That’s why we ask for a commercial and diplomatic blockade, and also sanctions on Israel to stop the genocide. Free Palestine.”

He’s also signed pledges not to work with Israeli film institutions, as well as letters condemning Hollywood’s silence on the genocide. He also spoke about Israel’s actions at a press conference at the San Sebastian Film Festival. The Oscar winner denounced Israel’s “dehumanising” attacks on Gaza and said under its most radical government, Israel is committing “crimes against humanity and international law”.

If any other celebrities want a masterclass on using their platform the right way, all they need to do is look to Bardem.