“Euphoria” star Hunter Schafer was arrested Monday at a protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza in New York City.
The 25-year-old actor and model was among a group of demonstrators taken into police custody after protesting in the lobby of NBCUniversal headquarters, where President Joe Biden was filming his “Late Night With Seth Meyers” appearance, according to photos and videos on social media.
Schafer, who plays Jules in the HBO hit show, can be seen wearing a black T-shirt that reads “CEASE-FIRE NOW” as she’s being escorted out of the building by police officers.
A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department confirmed that a group of 30 protesters were arrested and issued summons for trespassing and disorderly conduct at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan on Monday, but would not confirm Schafer’s arrest.
Jewish Voice for Peace NYC, the organizer of Monday’s protest, said Schafer did attend the demonstration in the building, which is also where NBC News, a division of NBCUniversal, is headquartered.
“Hunter was arrested at the protest, along with 50 other people,” the group said in a statement to NBC News. “We commend her commitment to Palestinian freedom and to a future of justice for everyone.”
A representative for Schafer did not immediately return a request for comment.
Jewish Voice for Peace NYC shared on social media photos and videos of the protest, which it said included “hundreds of anti-Zionist Jews and allies.” Jewish Voices for Peace — a U.S.-based Jewish group with chapters across the country — supports a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, opposes the existence of Israel as a Jewish nation, has accused Israel of committing acts of genocide against Palestinians and has been critical of the Biden administration for providing military funding to Israel.
“The President needs to start answering to the American people — not the far-Right Israeli government indiscriminately bombing the people of Gaza, destroying 70% of infrastructure, including hospitals, universities and the electricity and water grids,” Jewish Voice for Peace NYC said on Twitter.
During his interview with Biden, Meyers mentioned the president about the “horrible images” coming out of Gaza every day and asked whether there is a path forward to a safe future for the people living in the Palestinian enclave.
“There is a path forward, with difficulty,” Biden said.
First, he said, Hamas needs to release the Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Then, he added, there will be a cease-fire.
“Ramadan is coming up, and there’s been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out,” Biden said. However, an Israeli official told NBC News Sunday that there was “some progress” toward a cease-fire, but no imminent breakthrough.
He added that he has long received criticism for describing himself as a Zionist and staunch supporter of the state of Israel.
“Were there no Israel, there’s not a Jew in the world who’ll be safe,” Biden said in his interview with Meyers, which aired Monday night. “But here’s the deal: They also have to take advantage of an opportunity to have peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians who are being used as pawns by Hamas. And so there’s a process underway, and I think if we get that temporary ceasefire, we’re going to be able to move in a direction where we can change the dynamic, and not have a two-state solution immediately, but a process to get to a two-state solution process to guarantee Israel’s security and the independence of the Palestinians.”
“Late Night With Seth Meyers” airs on NBC, which, like NBC News, is part of NBCUniversal.
Biden’s comments to Meyers follow a similar statement he made to a reporter in New York City the same day, when he said his hope is that there would be a cease-fire by Monday, March 4.
“My national security adviser tells me that we’re close, close but not done yet,” he said.
Since the start of Israel’s military campaign, which followed the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack, more than 29,900 people have been killed, over 70,300 have been injured and thousands more are missing and presumed dead in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. According to the Israeli military, 576 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the attack — 237 of them since the ground offensive began on Oct. 27. There are also roughly 1.4 million Palestinians who have been displaced and have sought refuge in Rafah,…
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