Police arrest Susan Sarandon, Hannah Einbinder, dozens more at Netanyahu protest outside UN

Police arrested a total of 30 individuals, among them prominent figures such as Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon, Emmy-winning Hannah Einbinder, Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, and New York City Council member Chi Osse, during a protest outside the United Nations headquarters on Thursday. The protest was held in opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming speech at the General Assembly, which was scheduled to take place ahead of his speech.

Among those arrested was Manijeh Moradian, a 50-year-old university professor with Iranian and Jewish heritage, who expressed her grievances, stating, "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."

The General Assembly session saw Netanyahu defending Israel's actions in the region, aiming to counteract mounting international isolation ahead of elections that he might lose. Delegates streamed out of the General Assembly Hall, leaving behind a gathering of approximately 200 people who had come together outside the UN headquarters.

The protesters, clad in identical white T-shirts emblazoned with slogans like "Fund people not bombs," "No war," and "Free Palestine," blocked traffic and were subsequently ordered to disperse by police using loudspeakers.

Some protesters moved to the sidewalks, while the core group remained seated on the pavement, continuing to chant anti-Netanyahu slogans. Police officers on bicycles encircled the protesters, one by one apprehending them, tying their hands behind their backs with zip ties, and transporting them to police buses. The arrested activists maintained their chants of "Netanyahu go to hell" as they were escorted away.