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Javier Bardem has mobilised his followers on social media in support of a petition calling for US singer P!nk to be removed from her institutional role as a goodwill ambassador for Unicef. With this move, the Spanish actor is openly throwing his weight behind an initiative that is already close to 150,000 signatures to have the artist stripped of her role at the UN agency.
The initiative emerged after the singer’s reaction to the slogan “Free Palestine” voiced by rapper Macklemore during Ed Sheeran’s tour. In front of a packed audience, the artist stunned concert-goers by delivering a forceful defence of the Palestinian people and denouncing the severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
In response to the rapper, P!nk branded the move opportunistic and shared a post from the StopAntisemitism platform accusing the musician of spreading propaganda and suggesting that Ed Sheeran, with whom she was sharing the stage, should refund tickets.
Bardem steps up the pressure and leaves Unicef at a crossroads
The singer’s reaction sparked a strong backlash among thousands of users, a discontent that quickly snowballed on social media and is now amplified by Javier Bardem’s megaphone.
For the organisers of the campaign, the views expressed by the singer breach the commitment to neutrality, harmony and child protection expected from an international body of Unicef’s stature.
Javier Bardem’s endorsement of the initiative places Unicef in an institutional dilemma, igniting a deep debate about the ethical boundaries and social responsibilities of celebrities serving as ambassadors. Although the humanitarian agency has not issued a clear statement on the future of the US artist’s appointment, the intense media pressure threatens to mark a turning point in the organisation’s criteria for representation.
Ed Sheeran spoke out on Gaza in the US
Taking to the stage at his first show in the United States since the controversial sidelining of Macklemore, Ed Sheeran raised his voice this weekend in Philadelphia to state that the situation in Gaza is “catastrophic, unjustifiable and disproportionate”.
The US rapper, who had been performing as a support act, was dropped after making pro-Palestinian statements during the British musician’s ‘Loop Tour’. His removal triggered a wave of criticism against Ed Sheeran and led to the mass resignation of his band and the rest of the tour’s support acts.
According to ‘Variety’ magazine, the British musician acknowledged before the concert that although he does not see himself as an activist, the row with Macklemore had thrust him “into the heart of a crucial debate on freedom of expression and the world’s most complex political conflict”.
“My commitment to my fans is central to who I am; that is why I am here tonight on my own, keeping the rest of the tour going,” the singer said. Even so, Sheeran used his performance at Lincoln Financial Field to pause the show and share a few words on the Palestinian conflict.