Susan Sarandon was one of a reported 100 protestors taken into custody on Thursday, September 24 in New York City.
The actress, 79, was photographed in handcuffs and ushered by law enforcement from a protest outside the United Nations ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address.
Per outlets such as The New York Times, Susan was one of several other celebrities who were at the protest and detained, such as Hacks star Hannah Einbinder and comedian Caleb Hearon.
A representative for Susan did not respond to HELLO!’s request for comment.
The protest was reportedly organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, and attracted nearly 250 people. They were photographed wearing white t-shirts that read “Fund People Not Bombs.”
The rally was organized to protest against Netanyahu’s address of the United Nations General Assembly, with his speech quickly sparking discourse online, from comments on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani being an antisemite to dubbing the notion of a “genocide” in Gaza as “the greatest lie of the century.”
© Getty ImagesThe Rocky Horror actress is one of the most outspoken figures in Hollywood, known especially for her anti-war activism. She has also been public about her criticism of the ongoing war in Gaza and has criticized the Israeli government’s involvement.
Susan has previously been detained during protests as well, dating back as far as 1982, for civil disobedience while protesting the demolition of the historic Morosco Theatre on Broadway.
In 1999, she was reportedly one of more than 200 people arrested in New York due to a civil disobedience protest against the shooting of immigrant Amadou Diallo.
© Getty Images“If we’re not here today, then we’re saying that what happened is acceptable and normal, and I think that does a disservice to the other police,” she said at the time, per People. “I think it’s time we focus on this issue, and racial profiling is not acceptable. I don’t think we want to be made safe at the expense of our civil liberties.”
She was then arrested in 2018, one of 575 people at a rally in Washington D.C., protesting Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies, also tweeting at the time: “Arrested. Stay strong. Keep fighting. #WomenDisobey.”
Susan was then arrested in 2023 in New York, one of eight detained, protesting for fair wages for tipped workers as part of the One Fair Wage campaign.
© Getty ImagesEarlier this month, at the Venice Film Festival, the Dead Man Walking star spoke about the attitudes towards the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict in Hollywood, saying she had not only lost work but apparently been dropped by representation because of her comments.
“In terms of the power structure, I’ve still had movies taken away recently, because there are agencies that are telling people not to hire me still,” she said during a press conference. “But that’s the power structure. I think within the people, certainly internationally, I feel welcome.”
“So it depends. If it’s a major studio, I think there is, not just with me, but with other people, that have been told that that is impossible, in terms of being able to do this film, I thank [The Echo Chamber director Andrea Pallaoro] for that, because he didn’t listen to the warnings.”
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