Hannah Einbinder and Susan Sarandon were arrested Thursday during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appearance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
The Hacks star and Oscar-winning actor were among demonstrators taken into custody Sept. 24. Photos and video showed the two being led away in handcuffs.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Jewish Voice for Peace, which helped organize the demonstration, said more than 100 people were arrested while blockading access to the U.N. Details of any charges were not immediately available.
“Netanyahu out of New York!” Einbinder shouted as officers led her away, according to video cited by the Times. Protesters carried signs calling for an end to U.S. arms support for Israel and to the violence in Gaza. Inside the General Assembly, delegates walked out as Netanyahu began speaking.
After the arrest, Einbinder took to her Instagram stories to comment on the events and make sure people pay attention to what really matters.
“If the pictures of my friends and me getting arrested in protest of Netanyahu’s shameful visit to New York draw attention to anything, let it be to the devastating genocidal war Israel is waging against the people of Palestine and Southern Lebanon – to the settler attacks, the home demolitions, the bombing of people as they sleep, to the crimes that happen every SINGLE day but garner almost no international press coverage,” Einbinder wrote Friday morning.
Einbinder and Sarandon Have Spoken Out Before
For Einbinder, the demonstration follows months of public advocacy for Palestinians. At the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, she told Variety that she would continue speaking out even if it affected her career. “The cost of not speaking is higher,” she said.
“There is a greater toll in not speaking and you’ve just got to have your priorities straight. I am under no impression that my small career could ever measure up in comparison to even one human life. It’s an obligation and I will always do it.”
Sarandon has also been outspoken about Palestine and the professional consequences she says she has faced. At the Venice Film Festival earlier this month, she told Variety that she had recently lost film opportunities because of her advocacy.
“I think there has been a change in terms of the understanding of the situation and the general public, but there are still very strongly held positions within my industry that are held by Zionists and who have not relaxed their feelings towards me.”
Other performers attended Thursday’s demonstration, including Sarah Sherman, Elliot Page and Indya Moore, the Times reported. The protest took place as Netanyahu defended Israel’s military actions during his address to the General Assembly.
