On Monday, travel across San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge was slowed to a standstill after anti-Israel protesters took over the roadway, blocking traffic on either side.
Fox News reported on a statement from the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management, which cited a “civic demonstration,” and explained that the bride would be “closed in both directions for an undetermined amount of time.”
According to the California Highway Patrol, as reported by Contra Costa News, the protesters were out in support of Gaza, holding up banners that read, “Stop the world for Gaza” and “End the siege on Gaza now!”
California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Andrew Barclay told Fox News that multiple protesters had been removed from the bridge, and that others could very well be taken. He reported that a few protesters chained themselves to their cars, and that authorities had to take additional efforts to safely remove those individuals from the bridge.
“These protesters are facing multiple charges of which can include, but are not limited to refusal to disperse, blocking traffic, blocking a bridge, which is a specific penal code in CA,” Barclay said. “While they do have the right to protest, the manner in which they are doing it is not only illegal but incredibly dangerous.”
According to Contra Costa News, Approximately 20 people were arrested and are in custody, and the bridge reopened at approximately 12:15 PM.
On the other side of the bay, protesters also shut down traffic on Interstate 880 in Oakland, bearing similar messages. CHP officers reportedly encountered protestors who had chained themselves to 55-gallon drums filled with cement. The CHP is reportedly still working to remove those individuals, and will reopen lanes upon their removal.
Several protestors reportedly belong to the A15 Action group, as suggested by a flag attached to a fence at the site, which reads “A-15 economic blockade for a Free Palestine.”
The A15 Action group’s website called Monday, April 15, a “Coordinated Economic Blockade to Free Palestine,” taking credit for the disruptions.
A post on the website reads, “There is a sense in the streets in this recent and unprecedented movement for Palestine that escalation has become necessary: there is a need to shift from symbolic actions to those that cause pain to the economy.”
“The global economy is complicit in genocide,” it adds. “Join participating cities in blocking the arteries of capitalism and jamming the wheels of production.”
The group called for protests in cities across the globe, including in Sydney, Australia, London, UK, Catalonia, Spain, Athens, Greece, Seoul, South Korea, Johannesburg, South Africa, and a number of major American cities. Reports indicate that Philadelphia’s city hall, downtown Miami, and Chicago’s O’Hare International airport have all seen protests in the region.
On Sunday, Sky News Australia reported on the protests, saying that a global pro-Palestine rally had been planned for Monday, but protestors had refused to disclose protest locations, in an attempt to spread maximum chaos. They later reported that the protestors had launched protests in major “choke points” across the nation.
The post Anti-Israel Protestors Launch Global ‘Coordinated Economic Blockade to Free Palestine,’ Staging Protests In Major Cities In America And Abroad appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: John Symank
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