Star called to "free Palestine" - viewers complained: "Disgusting and sick"

Like many glitzy awards ceremonies in recent years, the Oscars held in March included a political statement on stage. This time it was Javier Bardem, who called to end the war and "free Palestine" (even though, at the time, people in Israel were sitting in shelters due to another round of conflict with Iran).

Now, five months later, it turns out that many viewers were unhappy with the message. According to TMZ, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which oversees television and radio broadcasts, received complaints from viewers protesting that the production allowed Bardem to make such statements on air. Bardem also wore a pin reading "No a la guerra" ("No to war") alongside another pin expressing support for Palestine.

While Bardem's words were met with cheers in the hall, the complaints filed with the FCC claimed the ceremony was overly politicized. One viewer wrote:

"They are all full of hate!"

That same viewer also criticized the fact that profanity was not censored during the broadcast, describing the ceremony as "disgusting and sick."

Bardem's protest began on the red carpet, where he explained the meaning of his pins in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter:

"I'm wearing a pin from 2003, from the Iraq War era, which was an illegal war. And we are here, 23 years later, with another war created by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. It is a lie that the goal is to defeat the Iranian regime. That is not the reason for the war, just as the reason then was not weapons of mass destruction. I am also wearing the Palestinian pin, which is a symbol of resistance."