Spanish actor Javier Bardem delivered a pro-Palestinian message from the Oscars stage on March 15, declaring “No to war and free Palestine” to thunderous applause from the Dolby Theatre audience. Presenting the Oscar for Best International Feature Film alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Bardem paused before announcing the winner to issue the statement, which quickly trended worldwide under #Oscars2026. He arrived on the red carpet wearing a pin reading “Palestine” and held up a placard reading “No a la Guerra” (No to the war) in Spanish, the same phrase he used in 2003 to protest the Iraq invasion. Bardem, a longtime advocate for Palestinian rights, went further in his remarks, condemning what he called the “illegal war” in Iran and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. He referenced the International Association of Genocide Scholars’ declaration and called for a commercial and diplomatic blockade and sanctions on Israel. “Back then, it was weapons of mass destruction. Now it’s the regime they want to defeat,” he said, directly criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “the same liars, the same manipulative people.” Bardem’s intervention was part of a broader…
