On Friday, September 26, Jennifer Lawrence defended Palestine at a press conference at the San Sebastian Film Festival and said that something is no less than a genocide that is going on in Gaza.
The Oscar winner, present at the festival to promote her new movie Die My Love and pick up an influential Donostia Award, was questioned on numerous occasions about the war in Gaza at the presser. Lawrence expressed her view on the issue at the end of the conference despite the attempts of festival moderators to prevent such questions.
“I am terrified and it is mortifying. I think what is going on is no less than a genocide and that is intolerable asked about Palestine. I am so scared of my children, of all our children,” said the Oscar-winning actress.
Next, she talked of American politics and how it breaks her heart that the current disrespect and discourse is what will become the norm of children being raised in the U.S. nowadays.
Jennifer Lawrence stated, “I say, the children who are already casting ballots at the age of 18, it will be completely natural to them that politics lacks integrity. Politicians cheat, we have no compassion, she said. And all people should keep in mind that when you turn a blind eye to what is occurring on one side of the world, it will not take long before it is you as well.”
Lawrence also reminded the room filled with journalists that it should not be the responsibility of artists to amend the political issues of the world. The actress shared, “I want to say that there is something I could say, something I could do to overcome this very complicated and shameful state of affairs. It breaks my heart. But the fact is, we are afraid to talk too much and respond to too many of these questions because we know that my words will only serve as fuel and propagand to add more fire and rhetoric to that which is under the scrutiny of our elected officials.”
Jennifer Lawrence continued, “I only want people to remain focused as to who is to blame and what they can do and when they should appear and vote, and not allow the actors and the artists who are making an effort to practice freedom of art, freedom of speech, to take the heat off the people who are really to blame.”
Lawrence had previously admitted at the conference that the freedom of speech and freedom of expression in America was being attacked and therefore the film festivals were even more sacred.
She said that we can take a glimpse of each other stories and learn and relate with each other but most importantly we are all connected and we all matter and need empathy and freedom.
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