John Cusack has been forced to apologise after he shared an Anti-Semitic image online.
The High Fidelity actor received a backlash after he shared a meme, which has since been deleted, of a large hand with a Star of David on its wrist, oppressing a group of people.
A caption on it read: “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticise,” before he added his own comment, “follow the money”.
The caption was first spoken by white nationalist Kevin Strom.
Cusack initially blamed his comments on a Twitter bot before he said he had “mistakenly retweeted an alt-right account” believing the image related to an Israeli hospital bombing.
1. it's clear that even if it was Israel's flag & even if you don't have antisemitic bone in your body, it is still an antisemitic cartoon. Because it deploys anti jewish stereotypes in its attacks on Israel, even if those critiques about state violence are legit
I mistakenly— John Cusack (@johncusack) June 18, 2019
& Palestinian friends, & for that I’m sorry.
The image depicted a blue Star of David, which I associated with Israel as their flag uses the same color & shape. I know the star itself is deeply meaningful to Jews no matter where they stand on Israel’s attacks on Palestinians.— John Cusack (@johncusack) June 18, 2019
The actor added: “It’s clear that even if it was Israel’s flag & even if you don’t have anti-Semitic bone in your body, it is still an anti-Semitic cartoon. Because it deploys anti-Jewish stereotypes.
“I [retweeted] and quickly deleted an image that’s harmful to both Jewish and Palestinian friends, and for that I’m sorry.”
English comedian David Baddiel, who is also Jewish, was among those who criticised the actor.
“John Cusack says he didn’t at first realise that the image was anti-Semitic,” he wrote. “My, it’s a troublesome old blind spot for progressives, isn’t it?”
Reported instances of Anti-Semitism have jumped 57% in the US in 2017 compared to the previous year, according to the Anti-Defamation League, with cases reported in every single state for the first time since 2010.
According to BBC News, last December, an EU report – based on a survey of 12 European countries – found that Anti-Semitism presently pervades European life.
Meanwhile, it was previously announced that a female-led reboot of High Fidelity was being turned into a TV series by Disney.
Cusack was highly critical of the plans saying that they will “fuck it up”.