Actor Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner/The Hulk in “The Avengers” franchise, apologized on Monday for saying that the Israeli government is guilty of “genocide.”
In a tweet on Monday, Ruffalo said that he came to his senses after some reflection and called for an end to “hyperbole.”
“I have reflected & wanted to apologize for posts during the recent Israel/Hamas fighting that suggested Israel is committing ‘genocide.’ It’s not accurate, it’s inflammatory, disrespectful & is being used to justify antisemitism here & abroad. Now is the time to avoid hyperbole,” he tweeted.
I have reflected & wanted to apologize for posts during the recent Israel/Hamas fighting that suggested Israel is committing “genocide”. It’s not accurate, it’s inflammatory, disrespectful & is being used to justify antisemitism here & abroad. Now is the time to avoid hyperbole.
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) May 25, 2021
As noted by NBC News, it’s unclear exactly which comment Mark Ruffalo was apologizing for. On May 11, he did, however, call for sanctions against Israel while making a call to “Free Palestine.”
“1500 Palestinians face expulsion in #Jerusalem. 200 protesters have been injured. 9 children have been killed. Sanctions on South Africa helped free its black people – it’s time for sanctions on Israel to free Palestinians. Join the call. #SheikhJarrah” he said.
1500 Palestinians face expulsion in #Jerusalem. 200 protesters have been injured. 9 children have been killed. Sanctions on South Africa helped free its black people – it’s time for sanctions on Israel to free Palestinians. Join the call. #SheikhJarrah https://t.co/f9R6LYljez
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) May 11, 2021
Mark Ruffalo’s fans did not welcome his apology, accusing him of backing away from his far-left principles.
“They are committing genocide the definition is clear and it applies. Antisemites will always be so, but that does not mean we can’t speak the truth. No one is called anti-arab or Islamophobe for criticizing the Saudi genocidal war on Yemen there should be no double standard,” one user said.
“If the term ‘genocide’ could only ever refer to a *completed* genocide, then we could never describe one in process in order to prevent it. An entire population would have to already be wiped out before we said ‘ah yep, that was genocide I guess.’ Please think this through,” said another.
“No, you were right the first time — see this heat so of the attacks on Gaza, and it’s such a shame that you’ve chosen to conflate criticism of the state of Israel’s atrocities with anti-Semitism. It isn’t and should never be used to justify racism. You are part of the problem,” said another. “Well done on throwing Palestinians under the bus and for also framing the onslaught as Israel vs Hamas, when it’s been 73 years of this shit prior to the existence of a group revolting against Israeli blockade, occupation and apartheid.”
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), up to 17,000 posts on Twitter positively referenced Adolf Hitler between May 7 and May 14 prior to the cease-fire agreement between Israel and Palestine. From ADL:
ADL has documented disturbing antisemitism on multiple platforms — from Facebook and Twitter to TikTok and Instagram – with messages including explicit praise for Hitler, promoting tropes about Jewish control and demonizing all Jews. Extreme antisemitic and anti-Zionist content can be found across a wide variety of channels calling for the destruction of the Jewish state, including posts that state: “GAS THE KIKES RACE WAR NOW.”
An analysis of Twitter in the days following the recent outbreak of violence showed more than 17,000 tweets which used variations of the phrase, “Hitler was right” between May 7 and May 14, 2021. ADL has also seen an increase in on-the-ground activity that demonizes Israel and that has crossed at times into antisemitism.
In a tweet on Sunday, actor Sacha Baron Cohen called out Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey for failing to regulate anti-Semitic content. “The surge in antisemitism on the streets is fueled by antisemitism on social media. Why do you allow #HitlerWasRight ?! Those who celebrate the Holocaust aim to perpetuate another,” tweeted Cohen.
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