Actor Susan Sarandon was among demonstrators taken into custody in New York on Thursday, September 24, during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to AFP footage and reports cited in the source account. “Hacks” actor Hannah Einbinder was also reported detained by the New York Post. The demonstration was organised by Jewish Voice for Peace as Netanyahu prepared to address the United Nations General Assembly.
The New York Police Department said officers responded to an unscheduled demonstration in which participants were blocking an intersection. A police spokesperson said officers warned demonstrators to leave and that those who continued blocking the intersection were taken into custody. The spokesperson did not state how many people were arrested. Jewish Voice for Peace said more than 100 were detained and described a sit-in of over 400 people outside the UN.
Protesters carried signs calling for an end to US arms supplies to Israel and the war in Gaza. The organisation said its action demanded an end to US military funding to Israel. Those descriptions and attendance figures were provided by the group; police did not confirm the arrest total.
Inside the General Assembly, dozens of envoys from different countries walked out as Netanyahu began speaking. He criticised countries including Britain and France, which had recently moved to recognise a Palestinian state, and rejected accusations that Israel was pursuing colonialism.
Sarandon has previously spoken publicly about the war in Gaza. At the Venice Film Festival this month, she said she believed her outspoken views had cost her acting work, while adding that she had found support among people who shared her position.