Sarandon and Einbinder arrested as NYPD clears anti-Netanyahu protest outside UN
Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon and Hacks star Hannah Einbinder were among those detained in New York as police broke up a Jewish Voice for Peace demonstration timed to Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the UN General Assembly.
Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder were among the people detained by police in New York as officers moved in to break up a protest against Benjamin Netanyahu, timed to coincide with the Israeli prime minister's address to the United Nations General Assembly.
Footage circulated by Agence France-Presse showed NYPD officers handcuffing Sarandon, the Oscar-winning star of Thelma & Louise, at the demonstration. Einbinder, best known for the comedy series Hacks, was also taken into custody, according to accounts of the protest.
The action was organised by Jewish Voice for Peace, a US-based group that has repeatedly staged demonstrations against Israeli military operations and against Netanyahu's government. The protest took place as the Israeli leader was preparing to speak at the UN general assembly in the city.
The arrests place two prominent entertainment figures at the centre of a wider wave of public dissent that has followed Netanyahu's appearances abroad. His visit to New York for the general assembly has drawn both official attention and street-level opposition, with critics using the diplomatic calendar to press their case against his administration.
Sarandon has a long record of involvement in progressive causes and has been an outspoken critic of Israeli policy. Einbinder, a rising star in US comedy, has also used her public platform to comment on political matters. Their detention at a demonstration in the heart of Manhattan gave the protest a level of visibility it might otherwise not have attracted.
The New York Police Department has not issued a detailed account of the number of people arrested or the specific charges faced by those detained. Protest organisers said the demonstration was intended to send a message to world leaders gathering for the general assembly, and that the police intervention came as participants were engaged in peaceful protest.
Netanyahu's address to the assembly has become a focal point for international criticism, with delegations from several countries staging walkouts during his speech. The walkouts, reported by the BBC, underscored the depth of diplomatic isolation his government faces over the conduct of the war in Gaza and the wider handling of the conflict.
The political temperature around the visit was further raised by a public exchange involving New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, who hit back at Netanyahu after the Israeli prime minister described him as an «anti-Semitic mayor». The Telegraph reported the exchange, which added a local political dimension to a visit already dominated by international controversy.
For British readers, the episode illustrates how the debate over Israel's military campaign continues to spill beyond the Middle East into the domestic politics of allied countries. Protests linked to the conflict have become a recurring feature of city life in the United States and Europe, and the involvement of well-known cultural figures tends to amplify coverage and public argument.
The detention of Sarandon and Einbinder is unlikely to be the last such incident during the general assembly period. Demonstrations are expected to continue while Netanyahu remains in New York, and organisers have signalled that they intend to keep pressing their demands in public. The precise legal consequences for those arrested remain unclear, and no court proceedings have been confirmed.
What is clear is that the Israeli prime minister's visit has generated a collision of diplomatic, political and cultural forces in one city, drawing in Hollywood names, city hall, foreign delegations and the NYPD. The images of handcuffed actors outside the United Nations are likely to become one of the defining visual records of this year's general assembly.
2
