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Paramount has criticised actor Mark Ruffalo over his latest opposition to the proposed merger involving Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, accusing him of invoking antisemitic tropes in what the company described as a business dispute.
A spokesperson for the David Ellison-run enterprise said the company was "troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute," as quoted by Variety. "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," the spokesperson said, adding, "This doesn't deserve a response in kind- and to be clear, we don't tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone," as quoted by Variety. Ruffalo, who has been among the earliest Hollywood figures to publicly oppose the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery combination, posted a years-old clip on Instagram featuring Paramount board member Safra Catz discussing "really profoundly scary technologies" that Oracle used to assist the Israeli military following the October 7 attacks. In the post, Ruffalo referred to Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison as a "classic Oligarch" and warned of the potential dangers of his son David Ellison's bid to combine Paramount with Warner Bros. Discovery. Referring to the Catz clip, Ruffalo urged his followers to "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," as per Variety. As per Variety, Ruffalo's comments have drawn concern from numerous industry sources, who have objected to what they view as a conflation of the proposed merger with anti-Israel sentiments. Paramount said Ruffalo's post should instead prompt a lowering of tensions. "It brings us to a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it. We'd rather build than further engage in such rhetoric," the company said, adding, "This simply exposes the true motivation of some who have advocated opposition to this transaction," as quoted by Variety. Paramount added that its focus remained on its entertainment business and its stated commitment to inclusion. "On the other hand, our commitment to great content is matched by our commitment to acceptance- to every story, every storyteller, and no blacklists, no exceptions, for anyone." (ANI)
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