Mark Ruffalo and Maxine Peake among stars supporting Emma Watson’s Palestine solidarity post

‘We stand against ongoing Israeli attempts to forcibly displace Palestinian families from their homes,’ new statement signed by dozens of film and TV figures says

Steve Coogan, Peter Capaldi, Susan Sarandon, Mark Ruffalo, Maxine Peake, Viggo Mortensen and Harriet Walter are among the actors who have joined Emma Watson in showing solidarity with Palestine.

Last week, the Harry Potter star shared a post from her Instagram account with the words “solidarity is a verb” over a picture of Palestinian flags. It is believed the post was shared by “an anonymous Feminist Collective”, one of the activist groups Watson has handed control of her Instagram account to in recent years.

The post elicited widespread support from Palestinian activists but drew fierce criticism from Israeli officials, with some accusing Watson of antisemitism. Those critics were then accused of weaponising antisemitism to shut down support of Palestine.

Now, more than 40 figures from the film industry have endorsed Watson’s message in a joint statement, which reads: “We join Emma Watson in support of the simple statement that ‘solidarity is a verb’, including meaningful solidarity with Palestinians struggling for their human rights under international law.”

The statement adds: “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 evictions of Palestinians from their homes. “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.”

Read the letter in full here.

Watson, 31, was listed on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015, due to her support for a number of high-profile causes.

In 2014, Watson was appointed as a UN women’s goodwill ambassador and in 2019 she was appointed to a G7 advisory body for women’s rights.

She recently took part in the celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the Harry Potter films.