Protesters arrested on Golden Gate Bridge
A big Professional-Palestinian protest on the Golden Gate Bridge shut down site visitors for almost 5 hours on Monday. Greater than two-dozen individuals have been arrested on the bridge.
OAKLAND, Calif. – ‘Free Palestine’ protesters on Monday blocked a number of sections of freeway across the Bay Space, together with a piece of I-880 in Oakland and the Golden Gate Bridge proper on the peak of the morning commute.
Site visitors was snarled for hours after the demonstration took over the northbound lanes of Interstate Freeway 880 at fifth and Embarcadero in Oakland early within the morning and each instructions of the Golden Gate Bridge. The doorway to the Port of Oakland was impeded later within the morning by one other pack of demonstrators, who mentioned they got here from a bunch known as A15 Motion.
The CHP mentioned the Oakland protest started about 6:30 a.m. and the Golden Gate Bridge protest began an hour after the primary 880 takeover.
The Golden Gate Bridge reopened after midday.
“There’s a genocide happening the world over and other people have to learn about it, whether or not it’s going to work or on social media,” one protester shouted. “Individuals want to remain knowledgeable of what’s happening, infants are dying.”
Dozens of CHP officers have been seen in riot gear watching as Oakland protesters waved flags close to the place they’d painted the colours of Palestine on the freeway’s heart median.
Officers mentioned that protesters used 55-gallon drums crammed with concrete and connected themselves to them with chains, impeding officers’ efforts to take away them. Seven individuals have been arrested.
Protesters face off with regulation enforcement close to I-880
“Free Palestine” protesters got here head to head with regulation enforcement officers on Monday.
Comparable scenes peppered the Golden Gate Bridge, the place protesters demanded an finish to the U.S. assist of Israel. In keeping with the CHP, protesters used parked automobiles to tether themselves to, and refused to clear the lanes. Officers had to make use of jackhammers to interrupt these heavy chains.
After the protesters have been free of the chains, they have been positioned beneath arrest. In whole, 26 individuals on the bridge have been taken into custody.
Chief Don Goodbrand, of the CHP Golden Gate Division, mentioned round 300 protesters walked on I-880 southbound at seventh Road. 5 individuals have been arrested at that location.
The protesters, who have been nonetheless in custody late within the night at San Francisco County Jail, face a slew of costs together with; false imprisonment, illegal meeting, conspiracy to commit a criminal offense, and illegal cease on a bridge. It’s unclear what costs the San Francisco district legal professional might file. A spokesperson for D.A. Brooke Jenkins’ workplace mentioned the D.A. nonetheless has to evaluate the knowledge. CHP mentioned two of the fees the protesters have been arrested for are felonies.
“You possibly can protest any which method you need, however it’s illegal to dam the roadway and stop individuals from attending to work and emergency personnel from serving to individuals,” mentioned Chief Goodbrand.
A number of protesters detained as Bay Space highways shut down
A number of protesters have been detained as a number of highways across the Bay Space have been shut down on Monday morning.
There have been important site visitors delays for drivers on I-880 within the East Bay and alongside 101 in Marin County.
CHP Officer Andrew Barclay mentioned officers needed to assess every state of affairs to determine how you can deal with it.
“These are incidents that pop up fairly fast,” Barclay mentioned.
The CHP was being assisted by San Francisco police and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Workplace, as effectively.
Video confirmed officers strolling on the freeway with individuals in handcuffs.
There are particular legal guidelines that forbid blocking bridges.
A number of individuals known as the KTVU newsroom to complain concerning the site visitors mess, asking if something could possibly be achieved to get the protesters out of their method in order that they may get to their locations.
One man posted on X: “These things is not sensible. Ain’t nobody listening to them and solely discourages individuals from supporting their trigger.”
One girl wrote that she knew somebody who could not get to a relative’s funeral, and it was “sickening.”
Chief Goodbrand empathized with drivers.
“It is irritating. I do not suppose anyone needs to take a seat on the bridge for 3 to 4 hours, he mentioned.”
One other commuter mentioned protesters stopping site visitors may alienate even these sympathetic to their trigger.
“The protest will not assist any youngster in Gaza, you understand, or any sympathy, and it is a difficult state of affairs. I do know that,” mentioned Pat Ackerman. “However, you maintain up people who find themselves typically making an attempt to get to work, it does not assist anyone.”
Protesters who mentioned they have been trying an financial blockade to demand an finish to the struggle between Israel and Hamas, the place 1000’s of individuals in Gaza have died since Oct. 7.
The protesters mentioned their objective is to disrupt the worldwide economic system. And Oakland is one in every of 56 cities the world over the place teams deliberate to create these blockades.
“It is a coordinated international effort. We’re saying that sufficient of our tax {dollars} from the USA – the most important ally to Israel – we do not need our cash to go to Israel any extra,” mentioned protester Riley Hewco.
An activist, who’s a spokesperson for the Golden Gate Bridge demonstrators, mentioned none of these arrested have been launched. “The truth that they’re being held in a single day is sort of regarding and we’re simply ready to listen to what may occur,’ mentioned Ellen Caminiti. “I am hoping they get launched quickly.”
She additionally mentioned that the inconvenience that commuters skilled was minor by comparability to what’s being skilled each day in Gaza. “It’s a privilege to expertise that minor of an inconvenience in comparison with what Palestinians expertise day by day.”
Legislation enforcement mentioned they have been monitoring chatter that one thing may occur on April 15.
“There was a good quantity of intelligence about this present day, however these particular protests…no. We didn’t have particular intelligence associated to them,” mentioned Chief Goodbrand.
It is a related protest to when protesters tried to close down the Port of Oakland in January, which they are saying is used to ship navy gear to Israel. And there was one other protest there final November.
There are three different California cities on the checklist of cities the place a blockade is anticipated to occur: Lengthy Seaside, Orange County and San Diego.
KTVU reached out to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s workplace relating to the Bay Space protests and looming demonstrations in Southern California, his workplace deferred remark to CHP.
KTVU’s Christien Kafton, Tom Vacar and Amber Lee contributed to this report.
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