Police arrest actors, politicians protesting against Netanyahu outside UN

New York police arrested a minimum of 30 individuals, comprising actors and politicians, during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the United Nations headquarters on Thursday, occurring prior to his scheduled speech at the General Assembly. Notable figures among those detained included Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon, Emmy-winning Hannah Einbinder, Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, and New York City Council member Chi Osse.

Manijeh Moradian, a 50-year-old university professor of Iranian and Jewish descent, participated in the protest. She expressed her discontent, stating that the ongoing destruction of Gaza, the annihilation of an entire society, using tax dollars, was a responsibility for everyone to speak out against. Netanyahu, according to Moradian, had no justification for utilizing the United Nations platform to defend Israel's actions in the region.

During the General Assembly, Netanyahu defended Israel's actions, aiming to counteract increasing international isolation ahead of elections he might lose. As dozens of delegates exited the General Assembly Hall, the rally was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, a Jewish activist group that advocates for Palestinians. Approximately 200 people congregated outside the United Nations, wearing identically-colored white T-shirts with slogans like "Fund people not bombs," "No war," and "Free Palestine."

The group obstructed traffic, and police instructed them to disperse via loudspeakers. Some protesters moved to the sidewalks, but a core group of demonstrators remained seated on the pavement and persisted in chanting anti-Netanyahu slogans as police officers, arriving on bicycles, encircled them. One after another, officers removed protesters from the group, handcuffed them with zip ties, and transported them to police buses. The activists continued chanting "Netanyahu go to hell" outside the buses.