Susan Sarandon, Hannah Einbinder Arrested at Anti-Netanyahu UN Protest
Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder were among approximately 100 people detained by New York City police on Thursday outside the United Nations, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to address the General Assembly. Comedian Caleb Hearon and New York City Council Member Jen Gutiérrez were also taken into custody as demonstrators gathered ahead of Netanyahu’s speech, in one of the more prominent celebrity arrests tied to political activism in recent years.
Mass Arrests Outside the United Nations
The detentions took place on September 24 as hundreds of demonstrators converged on the area surrounding the United Nations building in Midtown Manhattan. Police closed off nearby streets as the crowd grew. Protesters wore shirts reading “Fund people not bombs” and carried red banners. Crowds chanted “Netanyahu, you can’t hide! We charge you with genocide.” Einbinder was heard yelling as officers led her away: “Free Palestine! Get Netanyahu out of New York!”
Actor Elliot Page also attended, sitting with the crowd and holding a solidarity banner. Page was not detained. Specific charges for those arrested have not been publicly identified, and no legal proceedings have been announced as of Thursday evening.
The demonstration was timed to Netanyahu’s appearance before the United Nations General Assembly, which drew activist groups from across the city. It was among the largest protests coinciding with the visit, with streets around the UN forced to close due to the size of the crowd.
Einbinder’s History of Public Advocacy
Thursday’s arrest is the latest in a series of public acts by Einbinder, who stars as Ava on HBO’s “Hacks.” At the 2025 Emmy Awards, Einbinder used her acceptance speech to criticize ICE and declare solidarity with Palestinians, placing her among the entertainers who have used major awards stages for explicit political statements. She has been vocal on the conflict since Hamas’s October 7 attack, and the Emmy speech drew wide attention and sharp criticism in equal measure.
Einbinder’s pro-Palestinian advocacy has become a defining aspect of her public profile. For Einbinder, whose activism has consistently focused on both immigration enforcement and the situation in Gaza, Thursday’s arrest represented an escalation from public statements to direct action.
Sarandon and the Professional Cost of Speaking Out
For Susan Sarandon, Thursday’s arrest continues a pattern of outspoken activism that has come at a measurable professional cost. The Academy Award-winning actress was dropped by the United Talent Agency in late 2023 after making comments at a pro-Palestinian rally. She has said publicly that she believes she has since been effectively blacklisted from major studio productions, describing difficulty obtaining roles she would otherwise have been considered for without question.
Sarandon has remained vocal on Palestinian rights despite those career consequences, and her presence at Thursday’s demonstration underscored that the professional fallout has not deterred her public stance. She was one of the most recognizable figures photographed among those detained outside the UN.
A Protest Movement Drawing National Attention
Thursday’s demonstration was part of a broader wave of protests that have drawn national attention throughout 2026. The appearance of public figures from entertainment and elected office alongside ordinary demonstrators has become a recurring feature of pro-Palestinian gatherings, and the UN location amplified the visibility of Thursday’s action.
The intersection of celebrity participation and direct confrontation with law enforcement has given the protest movement a degree of visibility that purely grassroots demonstrations often do not achieve. Sarandon and Einbinder are not the first public figures to be detained in connection with pro-Palestinian events. No charges have been confirmed and no court dates have been announced for any of those detained Thursday.
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