Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Susan Sarandon shares message comparing recent NYPD funeral to ‘fascism’

Actor questioned whether the large procession meant police ‘aren’t needed’

Annabel Nugent
Thursday 03 February 2022 07:57 GMT
Comments
Susan Sarandon leads protest against AOC and the Squad: 'We are losing hope in you'

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Susan Sarandon has shared a controversial post to Twitter seemingly comparing policeman gathered for the funeral of a fellow officer to fascists.

On Wednesday (2 February), the actor shared an image on Twitter showing a photo of a crowd of police officers in New York City with text reading: “I’m gonna tell my kids this is what fascism looks like.”

According to Fox News, the post was originally made by podcaster Danny Haiphong.

Sarandon shared the post accompanied with the caption: “So, if all these cops weren’t needed for CRIME that day, doesn’t that mean they aren’t needed ANY day?”

On the original photo, there is a hashtag reading #abolishthepolice. It is unclear whether the actor added the hashtag or it was part of Haiphong’s original post.

The Independent has reached out to a representative of Sarandon’s for comment.

As per Fox News, the image of the police officers crowding the streets of New York City was taken at the funeral of NYPD officer Jason Rivera.

Rivera was one of two killed last month when responding to a report of domestic violence in Harlem. Wilbert Mora also died in the incident.

Sarandon has received criticism for her post from many people. One person accused the actor of using the NYPD officers as “personal pawns” in her “dumb little game”.

The Thelma & Louise star is a vocal critic of the US police force, having taken part in the Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality in 2020.

“Shame on you,” she tweeted at the former mayor Bill de Blasio after he lauded the NYPD for exercising “tremendous restraint overall” during the protests.

The city Department of Investigation later criticised police for using excessive force. De Blasio then apologised for how the NYPD treated protesters.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in