Spanish actor Javier Bardem, nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor for the anthology Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez, used his platform to call for support of the Palestinian people and to condemn what he described as “Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”

“We must denounce the urgent matter — Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The International Association of Scholars has declared what is happening in Gaza a genocide, and that is why we must call for a commercial and diplomatic blockade against Israel,” Bardem told EFE during his appearance on the red carpet at the Emmy Awards, held Sunday in Los Angeles.

A Call for Sanctions

Wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh around his neck in solidarity with Gazans, the Spanish actor urged “the sanctions that must be imposed on the genocidal state of Israel, not only for the ongoing genocide, but also for the apartheid state that causes so much suffering.”

He referenced Film Workers for Palestine, an initiative “that more and more people are joining,” aimed at condemning “film companies and institutions that either whitewash Israel’s image or justify it.”

Highlighting Humanitarian Impact

“These are the things we wanted to show, that we are doing, and on a day like today it is important to bring them into the debate,” Bardem added.

He went on to denounce the humanitarian crisis: “There are thousands, tens of thousands of children dying of hunger, and they call it self-defense. Now the world finally knows what is happening.”

Referring to the mounting death toll, Bardem stressed: “In addition to the more than 60,000 killed in Gaza, there are those still trapped under the rubble. The important thing is that we do not stop talking about what truly matters.”