‘Just wrong’ — Paramount on star’s anti-Israel conspiracy claims

Paramount Studios distanced itself from actor Mark Ruffalo’s claims that Oracle of enabling Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

By World Israel News Staff

Paramount Studios has distanced itself from remarks made by Marvel actor Mark Ruffalo after he posted a conspiratorial social media rant about the studio’s proposed merger with Warner Bros., prompting the company to rebuke the star’s use of antisemitic tropes.

Ruffalo, who portrays the Hulk in several of Marvel’s highest-grossing franchises, criticized the proposed deal in an Instagram post Friday, claiming without providing evidence that technology giant Oracle would own the movie studio through its connection to Paramount CEO David Ellison. Oracle co-founder and billionaire Larry Ellison is David Ellison’s father.

Ruffalo claimed that Larry Ellison was using Oracle “to fund his son David’s Warner Bros acquisition,” while sharing a clip of a former Oracle CEO discussing the company’s technology.

“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,” Ruffalo wrote.

He also alleged that Oracle’s technology had played a role in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which he described as “genocide” and said was “built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle.”

Paramount responded to the controversy in a statement published by CNN, although the company did not mention Ruffalo by name.

“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.”

“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. We’re asking for the same good faith we’re extending: less rhetoric, more understanding. Paramount’s future is being written for everyone who wants to make and watch great stories,” the statement added.

Ruffalo has been an outspoken critic of Israel for years and has repeatedly faced criticism over his statements concerning the Jewish state. Most recently, he signed a petition calling for the release of Marwan Barghouti, a convicted Palestinian terrorist who was involved in planning attacks against Israeli civilians during the Second Intifada.

The petition characterized Barghouti as a political prisoner. He was convicted in Israel for his role in terrorist attacks that killed civilians, including attacks targeting public buses and restaurants.