Published: May 29, 2024 3:12 am
Author: RT
Vanity Fair France has apologized for publishing a doctored image of Guy Pearce
The French edition of Vanity Fair has photoshopped the image of actor Guy Pearce, removing a Palestinian pin he wore at the Cannes Film Festival. The magazine was then forced to apologize after accusations of censorship.
Pearce walked the red carpet with a visible Palestinian flag pin on his jacket. The same pin was absent on the portrait photo of the actor made by Vanity Fair France and published on its website.
The edit was first reported by journalist Ahmed Hathout over the weekend. “So Guy Pearce showed solidarity with Palestine at Cannes by wearing a pin and Vanity Fair decided to photoshop it out,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), noting that the actor also wore a bracelet in the colors of the Palestinians flag.
The magazine was quickly blasted online, with commenters accusing it of censorship. Many pointed out that Pearce is a vocal supporter of the Palestinians and has labeled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu “a vengeful tyrant” for the IDF’s conduct in Gaza. “Palestinians are being murdered as we speak. Displaced, traumatized, ruined,” the actor wrote on social media on Tuesday. “This MUST stop. SHAME on you Netanyahu.”
So Guy Pearce showed solidarity with Palestine at Cannes by wearing a pin and Vanity Fair decided to photoshop it out. 🇵🇸
Little did they know the bracelet was also of the Palestinian flag colors. pic.twitter.com/kxdoVzJa2v
— Ahmed Hathout 🇵🇸 (@ahmedhathoutt) May 26, 2024
Vanity Fair France responded to the backlash on Monday. “We have mistakenly published a modified version of this photo on the website. The original version was published on Instagram the same day,” the publication wrote on X. “We have rectified our mistake and we apologize.”
Hathout retweeted the magazine’s statement, adding that “it’s unclear why there was a modified version in the first place.”
Pearce was not the only celebrity expressing solidarity with Palestine in Cannes. Palestinian-American fashion model Bella Hadid wore a dress inspired by the keffiyeh scarf, while British actress Cate Blanchett appeared on the red carpet in a dress that incorporated the colors of the Palestinian flag.
Wow tengah trending satu dunia Cate Blanchett punya dress kat Cannes film festival sbb dia buat tribute to Palestine. Sebelum ni pun dia join artist 4 ceasefire campaign. Mcm ni la baru queen. pic.twitter.com/Zpb9rUgJWq
— Tag Jones 🇵🇸 (@callmefye) May 21, 2024
Fearing pro-Palestinian demonstrations, local authorities banned protests along the iconic Croisette boulevard and its surroundings for the duration of the festival.
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Israel declared war on Hamas after the militants conducted a surprise raid into southern Israeli cities on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages. More than 36,000 Palestinian have been killed since the fighting erupted.
