Susan Sarandon apologized Friday for sharing a meme likening the funeral turnout for a slain NYPD detective to “fascism,” calling it “deeply disrespectful” and “insensitive.”
“I deeply regret the meme I recently shared on Twitter that included Officer Jason Rivera’s funeral,” the 75-year-old actress wrote in her statement.
“I reacted quickly to the picture without connecting it to a police funeral and I realize now how insensitive and deeply disrespectful it was to make that point at that time. I sincerely apologize to the family of Officer’s Rivera and Mora for causing additional pain during their time of grieving.
The meme Sarandon posted Wednesday featured a tweet written by podcaster Danny Haiphong.
Susan Sarandon apologized for sharing a meme likening the funeral turnout of slain NYPD detective Jason Rivera to ‘fascism.’ (Getty Images)
The original tweet showed a photo of police officers lining the New York City streets and read, “I’m gonna tell my kids this is what fascism looks like.”
Sarandon’s shared meme added the words, “So, if all these cops weren’t needed for CRIME that day, doesn’t that mean they aren’t needed ANY day?”
It is unclear if Sarandon’s post was made by the actress herself or a re-shared post. The “Thelma & Louise” actress has since deleted the tweet that included the meme.
Sarandon received criticism for the tweet. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
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Rivera and Wilbert Mora, 27, were shot on the evening of Jan. 21 while responding to a report of a domestic violence incident in Harlem involving a mother and her adult son, Lashawn McNeil.
Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue was a sea of blue on Jan. 27 as the hearse carrying 22-year-old Rivera’s remains pulled up to uniformed officers saluting the fallen NYPD hero. The vehicle was escorted by police as it traveled to the historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral from a funeral home in the Bronx’s Riverdale and passed traffic stopped in all directions along the way.
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‘I reacted quickly to the picture without connecting it to a police funeral and I realize now how insensitive and deeply disrespectful it was to make that point at that time,’ Sarandon explained. (Reuters)
Sarandon immediately received criticism online after posting the tweet.
“Extremely wrong of you to make these two honorable gentleman your personal pawns in your dumb little game,” one social media user wrote.
“One woman lost her husband and the other lost her son,” another user added. “They were protecting a mother from her abusive son when they were assassinated. These officers come from all over the country to pay respects and support the families. #ShameOnYou There, but for the grace of God.”
Fox News’ Stephanie Pagones and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
