Guy Pearce has made his first public comments after a magazine apologised for editing a pro-Palestine pin in a photograph of the Australian star.

Vanity Fair France removed the lapel pin from a shot of the Priscilla star that appeared in a recent series on actor portraits at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

In the controversial photo, Pearce sports a black Yves Saint Laurent suit and smiles straight at the camera.

But a small Palestinian flag pin, which fans had noted that the Melbourne-born actor wore on his lapel throughout the 14-day film festival, can’t be seen.

A different photo, featuring the pin, was posted to the magazine’s Instagram on the day the article was published. Both pictures showed a white, red, black and green bracelet – the colours of the Palestinian flag – on the LA Confidential star’s wrist.

“We have published by mistake a modified version of this photo on the site,” the magazine wrote in French on X in response to a viral post criticising the edited photo.

“The original version was posted on Instagram the same day. We have rectified our mistake and we apologise.”

Vanity Fair France apologised after editing a photo of actor Guy Pearce, in which a Palestinian flag pin he wore is not visible.https://t.co/2oKA6JvoBn pic.twitter.com/6qcvCflc13

— Razan Ibraheem (رزان) (@RazanIRL) May 29, 2024

On Thursday (local time) Pearce offered his first public reaction to the uproar, labelling the editing “a disgrace”.

“As the Palestinian people are already suffering great trauma and loss due to the vengeful regime of Netanyahu, it is most unfortunate that a reputable publication like VF attempts to eliminate support that I or anyone chooses to offer,” he told CNN in an emailed statement.

“Personally I think it is a disgrace.”

Vanity Fair has not said why it edited the photo of Pearce.

The star was in Cannes to help promote David Cronenberg’s competition entry The Shrouds, which also co-stars Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger.

He has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause in Gaza, and reiterated his support on X after the photo controversy.

“Palestinians are being murdered as we speak,” he wrote.

“This MUST stop.”

Gaza’s health ministry says more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s attacks on the enclave.

Israel launched its air and ground war after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on October 7, killing about 1200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.