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

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.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Oxford Union president at centre of controversy: ‘I’m not resigning’list 2 of 3NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani doubles down on criticism of AIPAClist 3 of 3Christians are not united for Israelend of listParamount 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 polic...