Mark Ruffalo Blasts Paramount For Calling Him “Antisemitic” Over Merger Criticism: “Appalling And Fundamentally Dishonest”

Mark Ruffalo has responded to Paramount's accusation that he is antisemitic, calling it "appalling and fundamentally dishonest". According to TheWrap, Ruffalo made the statement on social media, saying that criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract, or executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people.

The controversy began when Ruffalo criticized the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros, denouncing the deal in part over the Ellison family's ties to what he called Israel's actions in Gaza, Variety and Deadline reported. Ruffalo used terms like "genocide" and "apartheid" in his criticism, which prompted Paramount to respond, with a spokesperson calling his remarks "antisemitic" and "a bridge too far", according to TheWrap and Arutz Sheva - Israel National News.

Ruffalo clarified that his views "should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people", and emphasized that his criticism was aimed at certain actions and policies, not at Jewish people as a whole, as reported by Deadline and TheWrap. The $111 billion takeover battle between Paramount and Warner Bros has sparked intense debate, with Ruffalo linking it to Oracle's support for Israel and the IDF, Ynetnews Culture reported.

Brief written by urgent.news from Deadline, TheWrap, Variety, Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, Ynetnews Culture — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.