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Jewish groups unconvinced by Hulk actor’s denial of antisemitism in Paramount merger screed
Mark Ruffalo criticised Larry Ellison and his company, Oracle, over its ties to Israel, noting that Oracle is the firm behind Paramount and its attempt to take over Warner Bros
One of the film industry’s largest studios has condemned a Hollywood actor for using “antisemitic tropes” in his opposition to its proposed takeover of another major movie distributor, with Jewish groups less than impressed with the performer’s subsequent protestations of innocence.
Mark Ruffalo, whose film roles include The Hulk in multiple Marvel movies – including the latest Spider Man feature – and who is well known for his vociferous anti-Israel activism, posted on social media in opposition to a proposed Merger between Paramount Pictures, which is owned by the Ellison family, and Warner Bros. Larry Ellison, father of Paramount CEO David Ellison, is the multibillionaire owner of Oracle, the multinational technology company.
In an Instagram post a few days ago, Ruffalo shared a video on Instagram of Oracle’s executive vice chair, the Israeli Safra Catz, describing the company’s efforts to help Israel after the 7 October attacks, saying that the company had helped to “advance the agenda for the Israeli military” with “some really profoundly scary technology”.
In a statement alongside the video, Ruffalo said that “This is the company that Larry Ellison is using to fund his son David’s Warner Bros acquisition.
“These ‘really profoundly scary technologies’ will most likely be merged into one of the largest media conglomerates in the world and one day used on you. Look how she revels in what we now have come to see as a genocide, which was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle.”
Ruffalo also said that “there is an old saying. ‘The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.’
“From one of the biggest tech companies in the world. Powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world.”
The statement went on to describe Larry Ellison, who is Jewish, as “a classic Oligarch. They are crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world for their own power and concentrated dominance.”
In a rare public response, Paramount said that “We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute. Words like ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid,’ applied to a corporate transaction, aren’t just wrong — they’re a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe.
“This doesn’t deserve a response in kind — and to be clear, we don’t tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone.”
The studio also said that “We understand people feel strongly about this merger and are hopeful and expect that it will be judged based on the legal merits, not underlying bias.”
In a response of his own, Ruffalo strongly denied any antisemitic motive in his original statement, saying that “criticising the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract, or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people”.
He emphasised that his statements in condemnation of the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros merger “should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people, for whom I have deep love and respect. Everything I know about acting, activism, and humanism has been profoundly shaped by the Jewish friends, colleagues, and loved ones who have been integral and family throughout every point of my life.”
However, Jonathan Greenblatt, Chief Executive of the Anti-Defamation League, America’s key organisation devoted to countering antisemitism, produced a strongly worded response to Ruffalo, describing the actor’s posts as “cynical and sickening”, calling on him to “oppose the Paramount merger on the merits, find arguments grounded in facts, and draw on what you know about the industry without engaging in antisemitic rhetoric.
“Introducing the Jewish state out of the blue when it’s entirely unrelated, making baseless claims about Israel, and then trying to avoid accountability by essentially claiming that “some of my best friends are Jewish” is gaslighting 101. Mark Ruffalo, your acting might be convincing on screen, but careless and hateful words like yours continue to put Jewish communities around the world at risk while antisemitic incidents are far too common.”
Jim Berk, CEO of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, commended Paramount’s response to Ruffalo, saying the company had refused “to allow prejudice to masquerade as political or corporate criticism. At a time when antisemitism is too often minimized, rationalized or repackaged in more socially acceptable language, this kind of moral clarity matters.
“Invoking Israel in an issue where it is completely irrelevant is a textbook case of obsession and demonization. Paramount was right to call it out. More leaders and institutions should have the courage to call antisemitism what it is, regardless of who is spreading it.”
The Creative Community for Peace organisation went further, calling for an industry boycott against Ruffalo unless he apologised and retracted his statements.
“For nearly a decade, Ruffalo has supported BDS and campaigns to isolate and demonize Israel”, CCFP’s executive director, Ari Ingel, said.
“In 2021, he accused Israel of committing ‘genocide,’ then apologised and admitted that the claim was ‘not accurate,’ ‘inflammatory,’ and was ‘being used to justify antisemitism. Instead of becoming more careful with his words, he has repeatedly doubled down on his extremism.”
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