Mark Ruffalo rejects antisemitism accusations over Paramount merger

Backed by other stars including John Cusack (“High Fidelity”) and Hannah Einbinder (“Hacks”), Mark Ruffalo has again spoken out against Paramount Skydance, calling “unacceptable and dishonest” the media group’s accusations that he had resorted to “antisemitic stereotypes” in his criticism of its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.

Ruffalo was among thousands of actors and film industry workers who last year signed a pledge not to work with Israeli film institutions they described as “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” CE Report quotes ANSA.

A longtime critic of Israel’s military conduct in Gaza, Ruffalo last week urged his followers on X to oppose the merger, which is financially backed by capital from Larry Ellison, father of David Ellison and CEO of technology giant Oracle, which has provided support to Israel’s military and police for decades.

“Criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract, or the executives who provide it is not the same as criticizing Jews,” Ruffalo responded in a post viewed by 30 million people.

“Closely examining the Ellisons, including Oracle’s business, as well as the serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of livelihoods for thousands of families, is fair and necessary. The deal would give a single family control over CNN, HBO and Warner Bros., backed in part by foreign capital whose potential influence on editorial decisions has never been fully explained to the public,” he added.

The merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery was approved by the US Department of Justice in June, but the deal remains in limbo as a federal judge considers an antitrust lawsuit filed by 12 US states. If the transaction is not completed by September 30, the delay could cost Paramount Skydance around $7 million per day.

Speaking last week about the “terrifying technologies” supplied by Oracle to Israel following the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, Ruffalo warned his followers that they would “most likely end up being integrated into one of the largest media conglomerates in the world and one day be used against you.”

Paramount quickly responded, with its statement receiving support from the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Anti-Defamation League.

“Words like genocide and apartheid, when applied to a corporate transaction, are not merely wrong: they cross a line and ultimately diminish the real suffering those words are meant to describe,” the company said.

Photo: Instagram/markruffalo