Euphoria star Hunter Schaefer was among 33 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested for storming the lobby of New York's Rockefeller Center during President Joe Biden's call with Seth Meyers.
Schaefer, 25, who plays transgender Jules Vaughn on the hit HBO series, was cited for trespassing after attending Monday night's demonstration, sources told the New York Post.
The actress, wearing a “ceasefire now” shirt, was escorted from the complex by an NYPD officer, photos show. Her hands were tied behind her back.
The protesters tried to send a message to Biden, who was upstairs attending a taping of “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” They held large signs reading “Jews to Biden: End Israel's siege of Gaza” and chanted, “End the siege of Gaza now” and “Biden, Biden, you can't hide…” as they flooded the lobby.
Biden, 81, briefly addressed the ongoing conflict after the demonstration while making ice cream with Meyers. He said he “hopes” there could be a lull in fighting by the end of the weekend, adding that his “national security adviser has told me we are close to it.”
His remark “surprised” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, while Qatar acted as a mediator in the ceasefire talks, said Israel and Hamas were not close to a possible agreement.
Euphoria star Hunter Schaefer was among 33 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested Monday for storming the lobby of New York's Rockefeller Center. She is pictured as officers escorted her out of the building
Schaefer joined the Jewish organization Voice for Peace as protesters occupied 30 Rock for a sit-in on Monday. The protesters tried to send a message to Biden, who was upstairs attending a taping of “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” They held large signs reading “Jews to Biden: End Israel's siege of Gaza” and chanted, “End the siege of Gaza now” and “Biden, Biden, you can't hide…” as they walked through the lobby flooded
Schaefer, 25, who plays transgender Jules Vaughn on the hit HBO series, was cited for trespassing after attending Monday night's demonstration, sources say. The actress is pictured in the first season of Euphoria
Schaefer joined the Jewish organization Voice for Peace as protesters occupied 30 Rock for a sit-in on Monday.
The group said it was made up of Jewish Americans who wore T-shirts that read “Not In Our Name.”
The group said in a thread
“The President must begin accountability to the American people – not the far-right Israeli government that is indiscriminately bombing the population of Gaza and destroying 70 percent of its infrastructure, including hospitals, universities, and the electricity and water networks,” the organization tweeted.
The group argued that there was a “growing public consensus” to end the “further loss of life in Gaza” and called on Biden to take action.
They criticized his “lethal foreign policy,” pointing out that the U.S. had vetoed several U.N. ceasefire resolutions and that the president had “pledged an additional $14.1 billion in military funding to Israel.”
The group said 50 protesters were arrested during Monday's protests, but the Post reported, citing police sources, that 33 people were taken into custody – including Schaefer.
Jewish Voice for Peace appeared to confirm that Schaefer was among those arrested by retweeting several posts showing photos of police officers escorting the actress from the building.
has reached out to the NYPD and the NYC chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace for comment.
Schaefer, a North Carolina native, is no stranger to public protests. The performer, who transitioned to womanhood as a teenager, protested her home state's so-called “bathroom law,” which restricted bathroom access for transgender people.
She attended a rally during a special session of the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh in December 2016 and advocated for the repeal of the law, WUNC reported.
Schaefer, then 18 years old and a high school senior, held a sign that read: “Trans youth exist, are valid, [and] deserve basic human rights.'
Protesters occupied the lobby of 30 Rock on Monday as President Joe Biden taped an episode of “Late Night with Seth Meyers” upstairs
Pro-Palestinian protesters take over the lobby of the NBC Rockefeller Center, where US President Joe Biden will appear on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” on Monday
Pro-Palestine protesters hold a sign calling for a “ceasefire” outside NBC's Rockefeller Center on Monday.
The Jewish Voice for Peace organization occupied 30 Rock as protesters on Monday for a sit-in. The group said in a thread
New York police officers and security personnel watch demonstrators protesting at Rockefeller Center on Monday, asking Biden for a ceasefire in Gaza
Pro-Palestinian protesters stormed into the lobby of New York's Rockefeller Center to send a message to President Joe Biden, who was upstairs attending a taping of Late Night With Seth Meyers
Biden was a surprise guest on Meyers' 10th anniversary episode of the late-night show on Monday. He appeared on the show alongside comedian Amy Poehler.
He was Meyer's first guest in 2014, during his term as President Barack Obama's vice president.
As part of the recording, Biden and Meyers went next door to the Van Leeuwen ice cream parlor. He chose a mint chocolate cone.
During the trip, the president was asked when a ceasefire could begin in Gaza.
“I hope by the end of the weekend,” the president replied. “My national security adviser tells me we're close, we're close, we're not done yet.” “I hope we have a ceasefire by next Monday.”
Israeli officials expressed mild confusion over Biden's newfound optimism at the ice cream parlor.
According to a senior Israeli political source speaking to ABC News, Netanyahu was “surprised” by Biden's comments.
Another source described Hamas' calls for a ceasefire as “still delusional.”
President Joe Biden (right) eats a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone with comedian Seth Meyers (left) at New York's Van Leeuwan Ice Cream.
President Joe Biden (left) answered questions about a possible ceasefire in Gaza and his trip to a Texas border town on Thursday while eating ice cream with Seth Meyers (right) in New York City.
The president was also asked about his dueling trip Thursday to a Texas border town.
Biden will travel to Brownsville, Texas, to examine the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, while former President Donald Trump will travel to Eagle Pass, Texas.
“I planned it for Thursday, but I didn't know my good friend was apparently leaving,” Biden told reporters.
He would not say whether he would meet migrants on site.
“I won’t announce it in advance,” the president said.
During a conversation aboard Air Force One en route to New York on Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked to confirm that Biden would appear on Meyer's show and whether the secrecy was intended to keep protesters away.
“I have nothing to say about that. If we have more to say, we definitely will,” she said when asked about appearing on Meyers' show.
“I don't have anything else to say,” she added when asked. The White House was concerned about the protests, so details about the president's schedule were not being shared.