Mark Ruffalo enlisted by Irish Green Party for video seminar to help win coalition support

Crunch vote result will be announced on Friday 26 June

The pro-coalition wing of the Irish Green Party has enlisted Mark Ruffalo to conduct a live video seminar to help win over support of the membership.

The news comes as the political party counts down the final days of a vote to decide whether or not to enter into a coalition government with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail.

Party leader Eamon Ryan and deputy leader Catherine Martin announced that Ruffalo, who is now best known for playing The Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, would discuss fracking and the programme for government.

Ruffalo has been an active environmental campaigner in the US for years, and is involved in his country’s anti-fracking movement.

The event, titled Ireland’s Green Future, will outline a programme for government to stop imports of fracked gas from the US, ahead of a crunch vote on whether or not to join the proposed coalition government deal.

The actor said in a statement: “For years, US and Irish campaigners have worked together to achieve a ban on fracking in Ireland. Now the PFG is an opportunity for a monumental achievement for Ireland to become the first country in the world to ban fracked gas imports.

“This is crucial for our shared climate, as well as for the public health of Americans.”

Some 2,000 Green Party members are expected to vote on the proposed coalition membership, with a two-thirds majority required for the party to enter. Votes will be counted on Friday, having been submitted via post.