'Another illegal war': Javier Bardem calls out Trump, Netanyahu at Oscars

Apart from celebrating the stalwarts of the entertainment industry, the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday became a critical attack on the Trump administration and its policies, particularly the decision to start a joint military campaign with Israel against Iran. One of the most striking moments came when actor Javier Bardem took the stage to present the Oscar for Best International Feature Film alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Before announcing the award, he leaned towards the mic and said, "No to war and free Palestine," inviting a thunderous applause from the audience.

Even as he walked down the Red Carpet, Bardem, an Oscar winner himself, made a strong political statement with the two pins he wore on his chest—a black badge with "No a la guerra (No to war)" written on it, and a Handala pin with the word Palestine on it. Handala, a character created in 1969 by political cartoonist Naji al-Ali, depicts a ten-year-old kid with his back turned to the world, hands clasped, staring at an unseen void. "Handala was born 10 years old, and he will always be 10 years old. It was at that age that I left my homeland. When Handala returns, he will still be 10 years old, and then he will start growing up," Naji has often been quoted as saying.

Talking about the pins he wore on Oscar night, Badem criticized President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for starting what he called an "illegal war". "I'm wearing a pin that I used in 2003, with the Iraq War, which was an illegal war. And we are here 23 years after with another illegal war created—created by Trump and Netanyahu," Bardem said on the red carpet. The Spanish actor indicated that the U.S. government was lying about a threat from Iran leading to the conflict, recalling previous American claims of Iraq having "weapons of mass destruction." The Palestine pin, he said, he wore as a symbol of resistance. "They are radicalizing the regime by their horrific actions," Bardem said.

Joachim Trier, whose film 'Sentimental Value' won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film, added to Bardem's message by ending his speech with a James Baldwin reference. "I want to end by quoting, or not actually quoting, but paraphrasing rather, the wonderful American writer James Baldwin, who makes us remember that all adults are responsible for all children. And let's not vote for politicians who don't take this seriously into account." Trier said.