NEW YORK — New York police detained 103 people during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the city ahead of his address to the United Nations, according to CNN.
The protesters staged a sit-in on First Avenue, several blocks from the UN headquarters on Thursday, calling for an end to US arms supplies to Israel and an end to the war in Gaza.
The New York Police Department said officers took the protesters into custody as they moved to clear the roadway and restore traffic.
Among those detained were Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon and Hacks actress Hannah Einbinder. Video from the scene showed the two being restrained with zip ties and escorted toward an NYPD bus.
Jewish Voice for Peace, which organised the demonstration, said comedian Caleb Hearon, author Glennon Doyle, New York congressional candidate Daryaliza Avila Chevalier and former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning were also among those detained.
Actress and activist Cynthia Nixon, playwright Tony Kushner, photographer Nan Goldin and poet Eileen Myles were also seen at the protest. Congressional candidate Brad Lander attended the demonstration as well.
Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour was also detained, according to Jewish Voice for Peace.
The organisation said the protest was intended to urge the international community to stop arming Israel and to call for an end to what it described as genocide in Gaza.
CNN reporters at the scene said a large police presence was deployed. The protesters remained largely peaceful, but their sit-in disrupted traffic along First Avenue.
Shortly after noon, police warned demonstrators to leave the roadway. Around 30 people remained seated or standing in the street, and officers began making arrests at about 1 p.m.
Hundreds more protesters later marched through New York streets following Netanyahu’s UN address. Some chanted “Free Palestine” and “Gaza,” while others called for Netanyahu to face accountability over allegations related to the war.
Sarandon, a longtime supporter of Palestinian rights, has repeatedly criticised Netanyahu and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Following her detention, Einbinder said in an Instagram Story that if images of her arrest drew attention to anything, she hoped it would be the suffering of people in Palestine and southern Lebanon.
Hearon later posted on Instagram thanking the organisers and said he had been released from custody.
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