The '2012' star finds himself heavily criticized by Jewish community for blaming Twitter 'bot' for retweeting an image of a hand with a Star of David on the sleeve pushing down a group of people.
- Jun 19, 2019
AceShowbiz - John Cusack's attempt to blame a Twitter 'bot' for his posting of an antisemitic tweet has angered Jewish activists.
The "High Fidelity" star shocked his followers on Monday, June 17, by sharing a cartoon featuring a hand with a Star of David on the sleeve, pushing down a group of people, as well as a quote, misattributed to the French philosopher Voltaire, which read, "To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticise."
John, who added the words "Follow the money" in his caption, swiftly deleted the antisemitic tweet, claiming he had been duped by a "bot" (an automated Twitter account).
His explanation has been branded laughable by members of the Jewish community, however, with activists at Britain's Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), accusing him of failing to take responsibility for his actions.
A spokesperson for the group told WENN, "John Cusack's excuse that a 'bot got me' when he got caught retweeting an antisemitic meme is absurd and shirks responsibility."
"The tweet of a hand with a Star of David, the emblem of the Jewish religion, crushing a crowd captioned with 'follow the money is a conspiracy theory drawn straight from racist myths about Jewish power."
The 52-year-old actor later tried to offer a fuller explanation and apology, writing that he had mistakenly shared the cartoon believing it was a critique of Israeli forces' actions in the Palestinian Territories, but that he now saw that the post, "deploys anti jewish (sic) stereotypes in its attacks on Israel."
Criticising John further, the CAA representative added, "It is particularly disturbing for a celebrity to so openly promote such brazenly antisemitic views. It is incumbent on celebrities to act responsibly, especially at a time of rising antisemitism."
