"We oppose injustice anywhere": Emma Watson receives support from Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon and more after Palestinian solidarity post triggers anti-semitism accusations

Emma Watson was accused of anti-Semitism after she posted an image referring to abuse of human rigthts in Palestine (Image via Getty Images/ Pascal Le Segretain)
Emma Watson was accused of anti-Semitism after she posted an image referring to abuse of human rigthts in Palestine (Image via Getty Images/ Pascal Le Segretain)

English actress and activist Emma Watson has received immense support from her A-lister film fraternity friends for showing solidarity with Palestine.

Stars including Peter Capaldi, Susan Sarandon, Steve Coogan, Mark Ruffalo, and others have endorsed the Harry Potter actress after she was blasted for anti-Semitism by a former Israeli UN envoy.

On January 3, 2022, the 31-year-old actress took to her Instagram account to share a picture with the words "solidarity is a verb," which also featured Palestinian flags. Alongside the picture, she wrote a quote from British-Australian author Sara Ahmed which also talks about what solidarity means.

The post featured on Watson's Instagram post is believed to have been shared by "an anonymous feminist collective," one of the activist groups that she has given control of her Instagram account to in recent years.

Watson's post received widespread support from Palestinian activists but was harshly criticized by Israeli officials. After that, critics accused them of weaponizing antisemitism to cut off support for Palestine.


What did the film fraternity say about Emma Watson's post?

More than 40 celebrities across the film fraternity have come forward to support Emma Watson's message. In a joint statement, members of the union have expressed their thoughts about the human rights of the Palestinians under international law.

“We recognise the underlying power imbalance between Israel, the occupying power, and the Palestinians, the people under a system of military occupation and apartheid.”

It also references the forcable evictions of Palestinians from their homes and the power imbalance between Israel, the occupying power, and the Palestinians.

“We stand against ongoing Israeli attempts to forcibly displace Palestinian families from their homes in the East Jerusalem neighbourhoods of Sheikh Jarrah, Silwan and elsewhere in the occupied Palestinian territory.”

The letter further states that the signed members are against all sorts of racism, including Islamophobia and antisemitism.

After uploading her social media post, Watson received criticism from Danny Danon, Israel's former permanent representative to the United Nations.

Sharing her post, he accused her of anti-Semitism by giving a Harry Potter reference.

Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, also expressed his thoughts on Twitter regarding Emma Watson's post.

"Fiction may work in Harry Potter but it does not work in reality. If it did, the magic used in the wizarding world could eliminate the evils of Hamas (which oppresses women & seeks the annihilation of Israel) and the PA (which supports terror). I would be in favor of that!"

Emma Watson's post has garnered over one million likes and more than 100,000 comments.

In 2015, Time magazine named Watson one of the world's 100 most influential people for her commitment to several high-profile causes.

In 2014, Emma Watson served as a UN women's goodwill ambassador, and in 2019, she served as a member of a G7 advisory body for women's rights.

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Edited by Sandeep Banerjee
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