Actress Susan Sarandon Among 30 Arrested Protesting Against Netanyahu in New York

Actresses Sarah Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder and two Democratic politicians were among 30 people arrested on Thursday as they protested outside the U.N. headquarters in New York, before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech to the General Assembly.

Darializa Avila Chevalier—who was endorsed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani when she won the Democratic primary for the 13th congressional district in June—was also arrested, along with New York City council member Chi Ossé.

Sarandon—who won an Oscar in 1996 for her role in the movie “Dead Man Walking”—and Einbinder, who starred in the HBO Max drama “Hacks,” were among 200 people who gathered outside the United Nations building in Manhattan, wearing white T-shirts with the slogans “Fund people not bombs,” “No war,” and “Free Palestine.”

The rally was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, an activist group that supports Palestinian causes.

The group blocked traffic, and police then used loudspeakers to order them to disperse.

Most of the demonstrators moved from the road onto the sidewalk, but a hard core sat down and continued chanting slogans against Netanyahu until police officers surrounded them and began making arrests.

Conflicting Accusations

The activists chanted “Netanyahu go to hell” as those arrested were escorted onto police buses and taken away, with their hands cuffed by cable ties.

The Epoch Times reached out to the New York Police Department for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

It was not immediately clear whether any of those arrested had legal representatives who could comment on their behalf.

But Chevalier, who is standing to represent Harlem and parts of the Bronx, wrote an opinion piece in The Guardian about why she was taking part in the protest.

“As the Democratic nominee for New York’s 13th congressional district, I refuse to allow a war criminal to roam the streets of our city unchallenged,” Chevalier wrote. “I refuse to play host to a man who has overseen the slaughter or injury of more than 64,000 children in Gaza with American taxpayer dollars. I refuse to be complicit in genocide.”

In his speech on Thursday, Netanyahu said those accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza were perpetrating the “greatest lie of the century.”

“We sent millions of text messages warning civilians to leave combat areas; we made millions of phone calls. We dropped millions of leaflets,” Netanyahu said. “I want to ask you some questions. What genocidal regime gives a million polio vaccinations to the enemy’s population?”

Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier (L) is detained alongside another protester during a protest as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 24, 2026. Shannon Stapleton /Reuters

But Manijeh Moradian, a professor at Columbia University who took part in the protest, took umbrage at Netanyahu even being allowed to speak at the U.N.

“What’s being done to Gaza, the obliteration of an entire society, in our name, with our tax dollars, this is our responsibility to speak out against, and Netanyahu has no right to use the platform of the United Nations to justify these atrocities,” Moradian said.

Netanyahu Rejects Mamdani Rhetoric

Earlier this month, Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon confirmed Netanyahu would make a 24-hour visit to the U.N. General Assembly, despite calls by Mamdani for his arrest.

In July, Mamdani called Netanyahu a war criminal and said he should be arrested if he entered New York City, before later acknowledging that the city has no legal authority to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant that was issued in November 2024.

Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News’s “Hannity” on July 28 that he would not be put off by Mamdani’s rhetoric.

“I’m going to speak the truth in front of this hate-spewing elected official who’s pitting one group of New Yorkers against the others; he’s turning them against New York Jews,” Netanyahu said.

Reuters contributed to this report.