Mark Ruffalo comments cause pushback against anti-Semitism ‘smear campaign’ - Al Jazeera

More than 180 prominent Jewish figures, most of them from the entertainment industry, on Wednesday came out in strong support of Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo, rejecting the accusations of anti-Semitism he has faced since opposing a controversial merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery.

Ruffalo, known for his work in Marvel’s The Hulk and Avengers franchise, had linked Paramount’s proposed $111bn acquisition of Warner Bros to Larry Ellison – cofounder of tech giant Oracle and whose family owns Paramount – and his support for Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza, together with Oracle’s work with the Israeli military.

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Paramount responded by accusing Ruffalo of invoking “anti-Semitic tropes”, saying references to “genocide” and “apartheid” in connection with a corporate transaction went “a bridge too far”.

Ruffalo rejected the Paramount allegation as “appalling and fundamentally dishonest”, arguing that criticism of Israeli government policy, military technology contracts, and the executives involved was not criticism of Jewish people.

Experts say the Ruffalo-Paramount controversy is one of countless examples of a longstanding problem – that accusations of anti-Semitism are increasingly being used to discredit criticism of Israel, particularly as public opinion in the United States becomes more critical of the country’s conduct in Gaza.

Ruffalo, on August 21, shared an old clip on his Instagram story of Oracle Executive Vice Chair Safra Catz, proudly highlighting the company’s work to support Israel following the Hamas-led October 2023 attack on southern Israel, claiming the California-based tech company helped “advance the agenda for the Israeli military” during its genocide in Gaza.

“We have some really profoundly scary technology at Oracle and we wanted to make sure that it was available for the effort,” Catz said.

Ruffalo went on to criticise Catz, accusing her of revelling in “genocide” committed by what he called an “apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle”.

“From one of the biggest tech companies in the world. Powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world. Why has Trump pushed this illegal merger through?” he added.

“Mergers like this are almost always bad for workers, consumers, and the industry they tend to dominate.”

The staunchly pro-Israel Simon Wiesenthal Center CEO, Jim Berk, denounced Ruffalo’s comment as “a textbook case of obsession and demonisation” of Jews, while another Israel supporter, Anti-Defamation League head Jonathan Greenblatt, labelled the statement “cynical and sickening”.

Ruffalo later clarified that his “views come from my own political convictions and should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people”.

The Avengers star is among many Hollywood actors who have criticised the merger.

In April, more than 1,400 figures from the film industry – among them prominent Hollywood actors and directors such as Ben Stiller and Emma Thompson – signed a letter coming out against the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery.

“This transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries – and the audiences we serve – can least afford it,” the letter said.

‘Irrational double standard’

Zachary Foster, a Jewish historian of Palestine, described the anti-Semitism accusation against Ruffalo as “a totally nonsensical, irrational double standard”.

“If you attack Israel, you’re anti-Semitic, but if you attack any other country in the world, you’re not accused of being bigoted towards that country’s professed religious identity,” he told Al Jazeera.

The US historian and founder of Palestine Nexus, an online platform dedicated to Palestine-focused education, research and original reporting, said it was “very important” to make the connection between the Ellison family’s ongoing consolidation of main media assets – including the US version of TikTok and CBS – and their close links with the Israeli military.

“This has nothing to do with trying to make a quick buck,” Foster noted, adding that the goal is political.