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Susan Sarandon has apologized after saying at a pro-Palestine rally in November that people who are currently afraid of being Jewish are “getting a taste of what it feels like to be Muslim in this country.” , which is so often exposed to violence”.
“This wording was a terrible mistake,” she wrote in a statement shared on Instagram Friday evening, “as it implies that Jews were, until recently, alien to persecution, when the opposite is true.”
“As we all know, from centuries of oppression and genocide in Europe to the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jews have long been familiar with discrimination and religious violence that continues today,” she continued, adding : “I deeply regret that I trivialized this reality and hurt people with this comment. It was my intention to show solidarity in the fight against bigotry of all kinds, and I am sorry that I failed to do so.”
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Following the Oscar-winning actress’ comments at the Nov. 17 rally in New York City, Sarandon was fired from her talent agency, UTA, where she had been a client since 2014.
Tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas have escalated across the country and around the world, as well as in the political sphere, where young activists have called on President Biden to change course on Gaza. Israeli authorities believe Hamas killed around 1,200 people in its October 7 attack. According to NBC News, more than 1.7 million people have been displaced from the Gaza Strip and the death toll in the region is estimated at over 15,000.