More than 100 people were detained in Midtown Manhattan on Thursday during a protest calling for Palestinian rights and an end to Israel’s war. Among those handcuffed were actresses Susan Sarandon, a longtime advocate on the issue, and Hannah Einbinder. Demonstrators blocked traffic, chanted “stop the bombs” and “end the killing,” and held banners reading “stop arming Israel.”
The timing was no coincidence. The protest unfolded just ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the U.N. General Assembly. During that speech, Netanyahu attacked New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, calling him “the antisemitic mayor of New York,” and praised President Trump as Israel’s greatest partner. Several U.N. delegates walked out as Netanyahu began speaking, and he responded by calling them “moral cowards.” Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, has called Netanyahu a war criminal and continues to criticize Israel’s actions in Gaza, where more than 73,000 people have been killed since the war began.
Celebrity activism tends to split people down the middle. Some see it as brave use of a platform; others see it as a distraction from the issue itself. And when protests block traffic, the debate over tactics gets even louder. What’s your take?
Do celebrity voices help a movement grow, or do they pull attention away from the cause? Sound off in the comments.
