Tunisia is the latest country to ban the hit movie Wonder Woman because they don’t like that the star of the movie is an Israeli.
According to Variety, all viewings of the film in the country were blocked on Monday when Tunisia’s Young Lawyers Association filed a lawsuit against Wonder Woman. The association cited the star of the movie, Gal Gadot, as being Israeli, her vocal support for Israel during the 2014 conflict with Hamas, and her prior service in the Israeli military, as reasons to block the movie from being shown in the country. The lawsuit also refers to Gadot as a “champion Zionist.”
The Tunisian court suspended any future showings of Wonder Woman until the lawsuit is resolved, including a Wednesday premiere in 3D that 237 people were planning to attend, according to a Facebook event page.
Tunisia is not the only country to suspend viewings of Wonder Woman; Lebanon has banned the film altogether due to pressure from the Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel in Lebanon. Rana Masri, an organization for the group, told the Associated Press that the main reason for their opposition to the movie was the fact that Gadot is Israeli.
“We don’t distinguish between a good Israeli and a bad Israeli,” Masi said.
Additionally, an Algerian film festival decided not to show the film on Sunday. While there is a petition circulating in Algeria to prevent Wonder Woman from being shown, the organization that co-organized the festival claimed it was due to “administrative issues linked to exhibition rights.”
Emily Shire wrote in Bustle that the bans on Wonder Woman could end up backfiring, citing the fact “that the Wonder Woman boycott has not been universally well-received in Lebanon,” which could mean that change could occur.
“I believe the ban will force a discussion about boycott tactics against Israel and Israelis and expose significant problems with this approach,” wrote Shire. “Conversations that should have occurred years ago may actually happen because one of the biggest movies of the summer is now the target — and that is, indeed, a wonder.”
H/T: Daily Caller