Susan Sarandon was among the high-profile figures detained during a protest held outside the United Nations ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address.
The 79-year-old actress was one of dozens of protesters taken into custody as NYPD officers cleared First Avenue before Netanyahu’s speech to the UN General Assembly.
Sarandon, who drew widespread backlash over pro-Palestinian remarks in 2023, appeared calm as officers placed her in handcuffs. The arrest came three years after she was detained at a protest outside New York’s state Capitol in Albany.
Hacks star Hannah Einbinder, another prominent supporter of Palestine, was also reportedly detained during the demonstration.
Sarandon and Einbinder, 31, were both seen wearing white T-shirts bearing the message: “fund people not bombs.”
Comedian and rising actor Caleb Hearon, 31, was also seen alongside police, while several New York City council members attended the protest.
Susan Sarandon was among the stars detained during a protest outside the United Nations ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address.
Hacks actress Hannah Einbinder, a vocal supporter of Palestine, was also reportedly taken into custody.
Netanyahu is seen speaking at the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.
Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon, 60, also attended the demonstration, although the Daily Mail understands that she was not arrested.
The protest began around noon, when socialist groups joined Jewish Voice for Peace to block traffic near the UN. Demonstrators aimed to denounce Netanyahu’s war in Gaza and the continuing conflict involving Iran.
Before Netanyahu’s visit, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called for his arrest and said the United States should honor an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
Netanyahu is wanted by the court over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. However, the United States is not a member of the ICC, and New York City does not have the authority to arrest him.
Protesters chanted “Free Palestine,” “Stop arming Israel” and “Let Iran live” as the demonstration continued.
Arrests began less than an hour after the protest started, with officers fastening zip ties around demonstrators’ wrists as the crowd chanted: “Netanyahu, you can’t hide! We charge you with genocide!”
Our News Outlet has contacted representatives for Sarandon and Einbinder for comment but has not yet received a response.
Earlier this month, Sarandon said her political views continue to influence her professional life.
The veteran actress, who has previously said she was blacklisted because of pro-Palestinian comments, was asked at the Venice Film Festival whether the “tides [are] changing” in Hollywood.
A smiling Sarandon appeared serene as NYPD officers handcuffed her, three years after she was arrested at a protest at New York’s state Capitol in Albany.
Sarandon and Einbinder, 31, were both seen wearing white T-shirts reading: “fund people not bombs.”
Comedian and rising actor Caleb Hearon was also seen with police officers in addition to numerous New York City council members
She answered in part, ‘In terms of the power structure. I’ve still had movies taken away recently, because there are agencies that are telling people not to hire me still. But that’s the power structure,’ per People.
On the other hand, she said, ‘I think that the narrative has completely changed. There’s a lot of things that people are aware of now.’
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Sarandon said in Italy on Sunday, ‘Certainly internationally, I feel welcome. So it depends. If it’s a major studio, I think there is, not just with me, but with other people… that have been told that that is impossible.’
Referencing the movie, she continued, ‘In terms of doing this film, I thank Andrea for that, because he didn’t listen to the warnings.
‘So I think, yes, there has been a change in terms of understanding of the situation, and I think the general public, but there are still very strongly held positions within my industry held by Zionists and [those] who have not relaxed their feelings towards me. But I found my family, I found my people, and I’m okay.’
Earlier this year, Sarandon spoke out about her alleged blacklisting from the industry over pro-Palestinian remarks she made amid Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza.
During a press conference in Barcelona, Spain in March, she recalled being dropped by her talent agency after she called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The protest began at around noon as socialist groups joined Jewish Voice For Peace as they blocked traffic near the UN with the aim of calling out Netanyahu’s war in Gaza and the ongoing conflict in Iran
‘I was fired by my agency specifically for marching and speaking out about Gaza – for asking for a ceasefire – and it became impossible for me to even be on television,’ she said ahead of the 40th Goya Awards.
‘I don’t know lately if it’s changed, [but] I couldn’t do any major film, anything connected with Hollywood,’ she shared.
Sarandon said that even foreign filmmakers were being urged not to work with her.
‘This Italian director that just hired me, he was told not to hire me,’ she noted. ‘So that’s still recently. He didn’t listen, but they had that conversation.’
The Rocky Horror Picture Show star claimed in late 2023 that Jewish people were ‘getting a taste of what it feels like to be Muslim’ amid the war with Hamas at a rally in New York City.
She then apologized for her comment, explaining that she had not planned to speak at the rally, but was invited to address the crowd and intended to ‘highlight the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza.’
In an interview with The Times of London in late 2024, Sarandon reflected on how the controversy led to the departure of her agent and how she is no longer able to star in mainstream studio films.
She told the publication: ‘I was dropped by my agency, my projects were pulled. I’ve been used as an example of what not to do if you want to continue to work.
‘There are so many people out of work right now since November of last year… who have lost their jobs as custodians, as writers, as painters, as people working in the cafeteria, substitute teachers who have been fired because they tweeted something, or liked a tweet, or asked for a ceasefire.’
Asked if she would ever be offered a big film role again, she replied: ‘I don’t know. Not anything in Hollywood.’
In 2023 Sarandon found herself behind bars after attending a protest at the New York state Capitol in Albany in support of raising minimum wage for tipped restaurant workers.
New York state legislators were getting ready to increase the minimum wage to $17 an hour, though tipped restaurant workers are excluded from this new law.
The actress was one of eight activists for One Fair Wage who were arrested, via WNYT.
Spectrum 1 Albany reporter Kate Lisa also shared a video on Twitter, showing the activists – including former New York lieutenant governor candidate Ana Maria Archila – at the state Capitol concourse shouting, ‘One fair wage!’ repeatedly.
They were also trying to spread a massive pink banner across the concourse before they were arrested for disorderly conduct.
Sarandon and the others were all processed, issued appearance tickets and released.
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