Not a nice Guy
Alex Ryvchin calls out actor Guy Pearce after a post condemning Israelis, labelling his comments inflammatory.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin has slammed Australian actor Guy Pearce after the latest in a series of social media posts form the Hollywood star appeared to negatively target all Israelis.
Peace posted on X on November 21, “I’ve never been so disgusted by a group of people in my life as I am by Israelis.
“Everyday I witness their utter disregard & disdain for Palestinian life. It is shameful & sets humanity further backwards with every vile act like this….”
The post included a link to footage Al Jazeera claimed was of 15-year-old Palestinian allegedly shot by Israeli soldiers who did not appear to receive medical attention and later died from his wounds.
In response, Ryvchin took aim at Pearce for his condemnation of all Israelis as a people.
“There is no other nation on earth he would speak about in this way. Respond to actions by individuals by expressing disgust for the whole nation,” Ryvchin said.
“He might look at images of Iranians hanging people from cranes or Palestinians dismembering people with shovels but that’s just some outliers, a few bad eggs they don’t detract from the nation.
“Or maybe he’d ignore it or even seek to justify it. They live in a tough region. Who are we Westerners to judge? But Israelis are different to us decent folk. They are disgusting. They set humanity back. And don’t tell him that Israelis come in all different colours, religions, political persuasions. Don’t suggest he meets some. He’ll be boycotting them to ensure nothing disturbs the view of them he has formed and now proudly expresses.”
At the 2025 Oscars and other red-carpet events for The Brutalist a film about a Holocaust survivor, in which Pearce played a supporting role, Pearce wore a “Free Palestine” pin.
He has called on the entertainment industry to speak out for Palestinians, posting on X on 6 May 2025: “By staying silent we ‘normalise’ this genocide and condemn the people of Palestine and Israel to forever suffering.”
Discussing Pearce’s post on Sky News Australia’s Rowan Dean commented, “Well, celebrities don’t come much stupider in my opinion than Guy Pearce.”