The “Hacks” actress Hannah Einbinder was among approximately 100 individuals detained on Thursday during demonstrations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York City. The protest took place near the United Nations headquarters, where Netanyahu was scheduled to address the General Assembly.
Einbinder appeared alongside fellow demonstrators including actress Susan Sarandon and comedian Sarah Sherman. Following her arrest, she took to Instagram to urge the public to look beyond the imagery of the detention and concentrate on the underlying humanitarian crisis.
“If the pictures of my friends and me getting arrested… draw attention to anything, let it be to the devastating genocidal war Israel is waging against the people of Palestine and Southern Lebanon,” Einbinder wrote. She cited settler attacks, home demolitions, and airstrikes as daily events that receive insufficient international media coverage.
Einbinder further criticized the U.S. government’s stance, stating that Washington has the capacity to halt the violence but instead welcomes Netanyahu. “The fact that the orchestrator of all this bloodshed is roaming freely in our cities is an indictment of BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS who enable and protect architects of genocide like Netanyahu,” she wrote. “Let us not mistake the spectacle for the story: genocide is the headline, and it is time for it to end.”
During his speech at the U.N., Netanyahu addressed the protesters directly, labeling them “phony human rights protestors.” He challenged the demonstrators to show similar outrage for victims of other regimes, asking, “Did you organize mass rallies, hunger strikes? Did you protest outside the Iranian mission to the U.N.?” His remarks referenced the killing of thousands by Iranian security forces in January.
According to The New York Times, the arrests occurred as part of a larger series of planned protests against the Israeli leader throughout Manhattan.
Does arresting celebrities actually change policy? Feels like it just makes headlines without addressing the root causes.
I didn’t know she was into activism. Seems like a bold move for a comedy star to risk arrest like this.
Interesting that she used the word genocide. That’s a heavy legal term and sparks intense debate online.