Transgender actor Elliot Page joined a group of celebrities protesting against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations in New York City on Thursday. During the demonstrations, actresses Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder were detained by the authorities.
Social media videos captured Page, Sarandon, and Chelsea Manning among protestors blocking a road near the U.N. headquarters, expressing their discontent over Netanyahu’s visit.
Meanwhile, Sarandon and Einbinder found themselves in handcuffs after police intervened during the protest, with images of their arrest circulating widely online just as Netanyahu began addressing the U.N. General Assembly.
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As for the situation involving Sarandon and Einbinder, it’s still unclear whether their detainment was an arrest or just a temporary hold, as noted in a report by Variety.
During his speech, Netanyahu questioned the delegates who walked out, asking, “Where were you when the Iranian tyrants butchered and maimed tens of thousands of unarmed Iranian civilians?” according to the New York Times reported.
He additionally criticized those not present and the protestors as “phony human rights protesters.”
Latter in his remarks, he took aim at Democratic Socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and internet personality Hasan Piker.
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In terms of the detained actresses, both have been vocal about their views on the conflict in Gaza, which escalated following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
In 2024, Sarandon had participated in an anti-Israel protest outside Columbia University, joining pro-Palestinian demonstrators even after numerous arrests occurred the day prior.
The Oscar-winning actress also mentioned at the Venice Film Festival in September that her public remarks had impacted her career. “I’ve still had movies taken away recently because there are agencies that are telling people not to hire me,” she remarked. “But that’s the power structure. I think within the people, certainly internationally, I feel welcome.”
On her part, Einbinder expressed at Cannes that the cost of silence is significant: “There is a greater toll in not speaking, and you just gotta have your priorities straight.”
“I have no illusions that my small career could ever compare to even one human life,” she added. “So, you know, it’s an obligation and I will always do it.”
