Scarlett Johansson Thanks Supporters After Boycott Pressure

Actress Scarlett Johansson thanked her supporters this week for standing behind her during the recent SodaStream controversy.

Johansson faced criticism from left-wing groups for agreeing to represent SodaStream, which has a factory in the Israeli city of Maaleh Adumim, east of the 1949 armistice line.

Within Israel Maaleh Adumim is widely viewed as a “settlement bloc” which will remain permanently Israeli; however, many European groups oppose all Israeli presence east of the armistice line – even the presence of factories such as SodaStream’s which employ Palestinian Arabs. Johansson came under heavy pressure to cut her ties with SodaStream.

In the midst of the controversy Johansson released a statement saying she “never intended on being the face of any social or political movement, distinction, separation or stance” as part of her affiliation with SodaStream. However, the 29-year-old actress said she would not cancel her planned advertising campaign for the company, which she has praised for its environmentally friendly products.

Johansson received support from several groups. Among them was Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), a group of artists and musicians that calls for dialogue, not boycotts, to resolve the Israeli-Arab conflict.

The group orchestrated a letter-writing campaign in which supporters thanked Johansson “for her courageous and principled stand.”

Johansson appreciated the efforts: CCFP posted a statement on its website Wednesday with a thank you from the actress. “Scarlett would like to extend her most sincere thanks to the many thousands of people who have supported her these past weeks. 

Your emails, comments, and tweets have been truly overwhelming and inspiring. It has been wonderful to receive messages from people all over the world who firmly believe that peace is possible,” read the statement from Johansson’s publicist.