Warner Bros. Discovery issued a formal response to a legal letter addressing calls to boycott Israeli film institutions, stating that such actions violate the company’s internal anti-discrimination policy.
“Warner Bros. Discovery is committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment for its employees, collaborators, and other stakeholders,” the company said in a statement to Variety.
“Our policies prohibit discrimination of any kind, including discrimination based on race, religion, national origin or ancestry. We believe a boycott of Israeli film institutions violates our policies. While we respect the rights of individuals and groups to express their views and advocate for causes, we will continue to align our business practices with the requirements of our policies and the law,” the statement read.
The statement follows a recent petition initiated by the group Film Workers for Palestine, signed by dozens of prominent industry figures including Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem. The petition vows to sever ties with Israeli film institutions, accusing them of “complicity in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”
According to the group, such “complicity” includes actions such as “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid and/or collaborating with the government that perpetrates them.” However, the group clarified in a FAQ document that the boycott would not apply to Israeli citizens of Palestinian descent, who would instead be evaluated under “context-sensitive” guidelines.
Legal experts in the UK and U.S. have warned that the pledge may carry legal consequences. Variety reports that UK Lawyers for Israel warned the boycott likely violates the UK’s Equality Act of 2010 and could pose legal risks to signatories, potentially affecting production insurance and film financing. In the U.S., the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights warned that numerous federal and state laws explicitly prohibit such boycotts.
Last month, Paramount was the first major studio to respond to the boycott. In a statement, Vice President of Communications Melissa Zukerman said the studio “disagrees with recent efforts to boycott Israeli filmmakers.”
“Silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace,” Zukerman said. “The global entertainment industry should be encouraging artists to tell their stories and share their ideas with audiences throughout the world. We need more engagement and communication — not less.”
More than 1,200 film industry professionals, including Liev Schreiber, Mayim Bialik and Debra Messing, have since signed an open letter opposing the boycott.