Society 4 min read By Bethany Hadley
Sarandon and Einbinder arrested as NYPD breaks up anti-Netanyahu protest in New York
Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon and Hacks star Hannah Einbinder were among those detained as police moved in on 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 held, according to accounts of the protest. The action was organised by Jewish Voice for Peace, an American group that has been among the most visible Jewish voices opposing Israeli government policy and the war in Gaza.
The arrests came as Netanyahu prepared to speak at the UN general assembly, an appearance that has become a focal point for protest in the city hosting the annual gathering of world leaders. The demonstration was one of several staged around the visit, drawing together activists, artists and members of Jewish organisations critical of the Israeli government.
Sarandon has a long record of involvement in left-wing and humanitarian causes and has been a prominent critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Her detention adds a high-profile name to a protest movement that has repeatedly sought to use celebrity participation to draw wider attention. Einbinder, whose profile has risen sharply with the success of Hacks, has also spoken publicly about her political views, and her presence at the demonstration places a younger generation of Hollywood figures alongside established activists.
The protest reflects the continuing intensity of the debate in the United States over the war and over Washington's support for Israel. New York, home to one of the largest Jewish communities outside Israel and to a large Palestinian and Arab-American population, has been a regular stage for demonstrations both against and in support of Israeli government policy since the conflict escalated.
The wider diplomatic context has been equally charged. Delegates walked out of Netanyahu's speech to the general assembly, a visible sign of the divisions among UN member states over Israel's conduct of the war. The Israeli prime minister used his address to defend his government's position and to attack critics, including a pointed attack on New York's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, whom he described as an «anti-Semitic mayor». Mamdani hit back at the characterisation, continuing a public exchange that has become part of the broader argument over how the war is debated in American cities.
For the organisers, the arrests are likely to be presented as evidence of the scale and determination of the protest movement rather than a setback. Jewish Voice for Peace has positioned itself as a Jewish alternative to mainstream American Jewish organisations, arguing that opposition to Israeli government policy is consistent with Jewish values. Its demonstrations have frequently ended in detentions, and the involvement of well-known figures tends to guarantee wider coverage.
The NYPD has not confirmed the total number of people detained. Charges, where they follow, are typically minor and are often resolved without lengthy proceedings, though the publicity surrounding celebrity arrests can extend the story well beyond the day of the protest.
Netanyahu's visit to New York has drawn attention on several fronts at once: the diplomatic reception inside the UN building, the street protests outside it, and the political arguments the visit has reignited in American cities. The detention of Sarandon and Einbinder places the cultural world squarely inside that argument, at a moment when the war continues to divide public opinion in Britain and across Europe as much as in the United States.
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