‘Thelma & Louise’ star Susan Sarandon arrested in New York aged 76
|Susan Sarandon ended up in handcuffs earlier this week after being arrested for protesting in the New York State Capitol in Albany.
According to reports, the Thelma and Louise star was taking part in a protest against a new law that excluded tipped restaurant workers from benefitting from the same minimum wage increase as their non-tipped counterparts.
New York state legislators have confirmed plans to increase the minimum wage to $17 an hour, but initial plans exclude those restaurant workers who are usually tipped.
As such, activists with the One Fair Wage group turned out in force at the New York State Capitol, and Hollywood legend Sarandon was among them.
As per Metro, members of One Fair Wage – which also includes former New York lieutenant governor candidate Ana Maria Archila – took to the state Capitol concourse shouting “One fair wage!” repeatedly.
Footage from the protest shows members of the group attempting to spread a huge pink banner over the concourse when the authorities intervened and arrests were made.
Sarandon was among those placed in handcuffs for disorderly conduct. The activists were processed, issued appearance tickets, and later released.
Prior to her arrest, the Thelma & Louise actress shared her thoughts on why supporting the rights of restaurant workers was so important.
Sarandon said: “They are very, very important and need to be treated with dignity, not only for the back-breaking labor that they do, but what they have to do to communicate and understand and be patient and all the things that are linked to a successful business.”
76-year-old Sarandon, who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as an Academy Award and nine Golden Globe Awards to her name, also took to the streets last week in support of the Writers Guild of America strike in New York City.
The iconic actress has previous arrests for protesting, and was removed from the Women Disobey protests in Washington D.C. in June 2018.
Sarandon most recently starred in Maybe I Do, featuring the likes of Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, Emma Roberts.
I think it’s always important to stand up for what you believe in, and I’ll never criticize someone for protesting what they think is right.
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