Emmy Award-winning actress and comedian Hannah Einbinder has broken her silence following her arrest on Thursday during a high-profile demonstration in New York City. The protest took place ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations General Assembly, drawing a substantial crowd of activists, public figures, and entertainment industry personalities who gathered to voice their opposition to the ongoing military campaigns in Gaza and Southern Lebanon.
Taking to her Instagram Story on Thursday afternoon, the Hacks star addressed the media attention surrounding the demonstration and used the platform to pivot the conversation toward the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. Einbinder’s statement underscored her deep frustrations with international reporting and the foreign policy stances of Western governments.
“If the pictures of my friends and me getting arrested in protest of Netanyahu’s shameful visit to New York draw attention to anything, let it be to the devastating genocidal war Israel is waging against people of Palestine and Southern Lebanon—to the settler attacks, the home demolitions, the bombing of people as they sleep; to the crimes that happen every SINGLE day but garner almost no international press coverage,” the actress wrote in her initial post.
She continued with a sharp critique of American foreign policy, expressing indignation over the diplomatic reception afforded to the visiting foreign leader. “The US government has the power to bring an end to all of this killing, pillaging, and land theft, yet instead it chooses to welcome the butcher of Gaza with open arms.”
Einbinder was among approximately 100 demonstrators taken into custody by law enforcement officers prior to Netanyahu’s appearance at the United Nations. High-profile figures among the gathering included fellow actors Susan Sarandon and Caleb Hearon, both of whom were reportedly detained alongside Einbinder during the unannounced demonstration. Other notable entertainment figures present at the mobilization to show solidarity included actress Cynthia Nixon and comedian Sarah Sherman, with Einbinder being captured by photographers standing alongside the Saturday Night Live star during the course of the protest.
The demonstration brought traffic and pedestrian movement to a temporary halt at a prominent Manhattan intersection, drawing a swift response from local authorities. A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department provided details regarding the sequence of events leading up to the detentions, explaining to The Guardian that officers were dispatched following reports of an unscheduled demonstration that was actively blocking traffic.
“Members of the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau issued warnings, advising participants that they should leave,” the police spokesperson stated regarding the department’s protocol during the protest. “They continued to block the intersection. Multiple individuals who didn’t comply were taken into custody.”
In her follow-up statements on social media, Einbinder directed her condemnation toward the broader American political establishment, arguing that bipartisan complicity has allowed the violence to persist unabated. Concluding her lengthy statement on her Instagram Story, she wrote, “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. Let us not mistake the spectacle for the story: genocide is the headline, and it is time for it to end.”
To direct her followers toward active humanitarian relief efforts, Einbinder followed her primary statement with a second Instagram Story containing a direct hyperlink to donate to Pal Humanity, a charitable organization dedicated to aiding those affected by the ongoing crisis.
This recent arrest marks another chapter in Einbinder’s increasingly vocal public advocacy regarding Palestinian rights and foreign policy issues. The actress-comedian has consistently used her platform and public appearances to draw attention to the humanitarian plight in the region. Most notably, her political stance made headlines earlier during the awards season. At the conclusion of her acceptance speech after winning the Emmy Award for supporting comedy actress at the 2025 ceremony, Einbinder closed her remarks with a direct and politically charged message to the audience and viewers at home, stating, “I just wanna say, finally, go birds, fuck ICE and free Palestine.”
Following the events in Manhattan on Thursday, representatives for the Hacks star were reached out to by The Hollywood Reporter for additional comment regarding the arrest and subsequent statements, but no official response was received prior to publication.