'Free Palestine': Javier Bardem wears keffiyeh at Emmys and calls Gaza situation a 'genocide'

Javier Bardem made a striking political statement on the Emmy Awards red carpet, wearing a keffiyeh scarf and using the platform to speak out against what he called a “genocide” in Gaza.

The keffiyeh is a traditional Middle Eastern scarf, usually black-and-white patterned, that has become a widely recognised symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance.

When asked about his choice of attire, the Spanish actor, known for his roles in No Country for Old Men, Skyfall and F1 said, "At the end of August, IAGS, which is the International Association of Genocide Scholars - who focus on studying genocide - called it a genocide. And what we ask for is for commercial and diplomatic blockade and sanctions on Israel to stop the genocide. Free Palestine."

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) is the world’s largest professional association of experts who study genocide, bringing together scholars, researchers, and academics from around the globe, including many Holocaust specialists, historians and sociologists.

Last month they concluded that Israel's conduct in Gaza meets the UN definition of genocide. The three-page resolution cites widespread attacks on healthcare, aid and education, the killing and injuring of tens of thousands of children, support among Israeli leaders for forced expulsions, near-total demolition of housing and dehumanising rhetoric towards Palestinians.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the report, claiming it relied on “Hamas lies” and flawed research, describing it as an “embarrassment to the legal profession.” A spokesperson also argued that Israel itself is the true victim of genocide.

Hollywood speaks out

Bardem's statement at the Emmys comes amid a growing wave of initiatives within the entertainment industry to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza.

More than 1,300 artists - including Hollywood and international stars such as Olivia Colman, Tilda Swinton, Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Riz Ahmed, and Bardem himself - have pledged not to work with Israeli film institutions they say are implicated in “genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

The pledge, created by Film Makers for Palestine, has also been signed by the likes of Ken Loach, Yórgos Lánthimos, Asif Kapadia, Joshua Oppenheimer, Lily Gladstone, Ayo Edebiri, Brian Cox, Josh O’Connor, Rebecca Hall, Benedict Wong, Gael García Bernal, and Susan Sarandon.

“As filmmakers, actors, film industry workers, and institutions, we recognize the power of cinema to shape perceptions,” the statement reads. “In this urgent moment of crisis, where many of our governments are enabling the carnage in Gaza, we must do everything we can to address complicity in that unrelenting horror.” 

The pledge goes on to urge the industry to refuse silence, racism, and dehumanisation, and to avoid working with Israeli film institutions - including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters, and production companies - that are complicit in human rights violations.