Mark Ruffalo defended by more than 170 Jewish figures after Paramount antisemitism claims
“Mark Ruffalo has received public support from more than 170 Jewish artists, writers, filmmakers and other public figures after Paramount accused the actor of invoking antisemitic tropes in his critici…”
Discovery. The open letter, published Tuesday, September 1, describes the accusations against Ruffalo as an “outrageous smear campaign” and argues that charges of antisemitism are being used to silence criticism of Israel, corporate power and the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros.
Discovery deal. Among the signatories are Joaquin Phoenix, Joel Coen, Todd Haynes, Hannah Einbinder, Ilana Glazer, Tony Kushner, Emma Seligman, Wallace Shawn and Jane Schoenbrun. The letter says the proposed merger would further consolidate control of the entertainment industry and threaten jobs, competition and creativity.
The controversy began after Ruffalo criticised the proposed merger and raised concerns about Oracle's relationship with Israel. In a social media post, he connected the Ellison family's business interests and Oracle's technology to Israel's military operations and the war in Gaza.
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Paramount subsequently accused Ruffalo of using antisemitic tropes in what the company described as a business dispute. Ruffalo rejected the allegation, arguing that criticism of Israeli government actions, military technology contracts or business executives should not be conflated with criticism of Jewish people.
The new letter strongly pushes back against Paramount's position. Its signatories argue that drawing connections between events in Gaza and developments in Hollywood is not antisemitic and say they are standing with Ruffalo against what they consider an inappropriate use of antisemitism allegations.
“Pointing out the crucial connections between what is happening in Gaza and what is happening in Hollywood is the exact opposite of antisemitism,” the letter states. Jewish filmmaker Jonathan Glazer also defended Ruffalo, arguing that labelling him antisemitic over his criticism of the proposed merger could be used to discourage legitimate debate about corporate consolidation and media ownership.
The dispute comes as Paramount pursues its proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that has drawn scrutiny over the future ownership and concentration of Hollywood's major media businesses. Ruffalo has been one of the prominent entertainment figures publicly opposing the merger.
The growing backlash has divided Hollywood, with supporters of Ruffalo arguing that his criticism should be understood as opposition to corporate and political actions rather than hostility towards Jewish people, while Paramount and other critics have maintained that some of his rhetoric crossed into antisemitic territory.
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