Spain’s government backs actor Javier Bardem, other performing artists supporting Palestine

Senhan Bolelli

Spain announced Tuesday that it stands behind actor Javier Bardem and other performing artists who have faced “censorship and attacks” because they support Palestine and their opposition to Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun addressed claims after a Cabinet meeting that Bardem had been included on a so-called “Hollywood blacklist” alongside other public figures such as Susan Sarandon and Mark Ruffalo, both of whom have publicly condemned the genocide in Gaza.

“The government rejects any form of censorship or attacks against our national artists who freely express their opinions,” said Urtasun. He added that the government fully supports and sympathizes with Bardem and Sergi Lopez, who he said have faced censorship and attacks for exercising their freedom of expression as citizens, particularly in condemning what they describe as genocide in Palestine.

On May 17, during the Cannes Film Festival, Bardem spoke at the presentation of director Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s film “The Beloved,” which was nominated for the Palme d’Or.

Bardem said that “those who create so-called blacklists are the ones who should truly be exposed.”

Catalan actor Lopez was also among the signatories of a letter warning against the “cultural and ideological” support that Canal Plus, owned by French businessman Vincent Bollore and one of the main financiers of French cinema, provides to Israel.

The letter was also signed by French actresses Juliette Binoche, Blanche Gardin and Adele Haenel, as well as actor and director Jean-Pascal Zadi.