Mark Ruffalo has something serious to say about the Bahai’s living in Iran who are being persecuted for their religious beliefs.

“Since the 1980s the Iranian Government has expelled, arrested and harassed any youth from the Baha’i Faith who has tried to receive an education in that country,” the actor says in a YouTube video that he made in support of the #EducationIsNotACrime event taking place on Friday February 27, at the Ace Hotel in Downtown L.A. “Education is not a crime and should never be one and Iran is doing a great disservice to the world and the youth of their country by not allowing these people to be educated.”

Ruffalo goes on to ask everyone to make their own video and talk about why they believe that education is not a crime and send it out to the twitterverse with the hastag #EducationIsNotACrime.

Justin Baldoni, Rainn Wilson and Andy Grammer (all three as well as Ruffalo’s dad, are members of the Bahai Faith) will be speaking at the #EducationIsNotACrime event on Friday night in support of the cause. If you’re free tomorrow night and feel like stopping by, please do so, It’s open to the public.

Watch the video here: