[News] Pro-Palestinian protesters paralyse roads in US cities over war on Gaza

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 Pro-Palestinian protesters paralyse roads in US cities over war on Gaza

*Demonstrators block highways and shut down travel in Illinois, California,
New York and the Pacific Northwest.*
[image: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march during a 'Strike for Gaza'
protest, calling for a permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza]
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march during a 'Strike for Gaza' protest,
calling for a permanent ceasefire [Mario Tama/AFP]
Published On 16 Apr 2024 -
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/16/pro-palestinian-protesters-paralyse-roads-in-us-cities-over-israel-attacks
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Pro-Palestinian protesters have blocked major roads in the states of
Illinois, California, New York and the Pacific Northwest, temporarily
preventing travel into some of the United States’s most heavily used
airports, onto the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges and along a busy West
Coast highway.

In Chicago, protesters linked arms and blocked lanes of Interstate 190
leading into O’Hare International Airport at about 7am (12:00 GMT) on
Monday in a demonstration they said was part of a global “economic blockade
to free Palestine”, according to Rifqa Falaneh, one of the organisers.

Protesters say they chose O’Hare in part because it is one of the largest
airports in the US. Dozens were arrested, according to Falaneh. Chicago
police said that “multiple people” were taken into custody after a protest
where people obstructed traffic but did not provide a detailed count.

In California, demonstrators blocked lanes on the northbound I-880 in
Oakland by chaining themselves to barrels, while a separate group of
protesters with banners disrupted traffic on the southbound lanes. On the
Golden Gate Bridge, protesters impeded traffic in both directions,
displaying a banner that read, “Stop the world for Gaza.”

In Eugene, Oregon, protesters blocked Interstate 5, shutting down traffic
on the major highway for about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, on the East Coast, protesters marching into Brooklyn blocked
Manhattan-bound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Antiwar protesters have held demonstrations in Chicago nearly every day
since Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel
<https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/7/what-happened-in-israel-a-breakdown-of-how-the-hamas-attack-unfolded>,
which killed about 1,200 people, triggered an Israeli assault on Gaza that
has killed more than 33,700 Palestinians
<https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/4/16/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-vows-response-to-iran>,
according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

O’Hare warned travellers on social platform X to find alternative ways to
get to the airport, with car travel “substantially delayed this morning due
to protest activity”.

Some travellers stuck in standstill traffic left their cars and walked the
final leg to the airport along the freeway, trailing their luggage behind
them.

“This was an inconvenience,” Madeline Hannan from suburban Chicago said in
a telephone interview as she was heading to Florida. “But in the grand
scheme of things going on overseas, it’s a minor inconvenience.”

Inbound traffic towards O’Hare resumed at about 9am (14:00 GMT).
[image: Heavy traffic is seen at O'Hare International Airport]Heavy traffic
at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Monday [Nam Y Huh/AP] Arrests
and calls for Gaza ceasefire

Near Seattle, the Washington State Department of Transportation said a
demonstration closed the main road to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Social media posts showed people holding a banner and waving Palestinian
flags while standing on the highway, which reopened about three hours later.

About 20 protesters were arrested at the Golden Gate Bridge demonstration
and traffic resumed shortly after noon, according to the California Highway
Patrol. The agency said officers were making arrests at two points on the
highway, including one spot where roughly 300 protesters refused orders to
disperse.

“Attempting to block or shut down a freeway or state highway to protest is
unlawful, dangerous, and prevents motorists from safely reaching their
destinations,” the agency said in a statement.

Oregon State Police said 52 protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct
following the Interstate 5 protest in Eugene, Oregon, about 177km (110
miles) south of Portland. Six vehicles were towed from the scene.

New York Police made numerous arrests, saying 150 protesters were initially
involved in the march at about 3:15 pm (19:15 GMT) but that the crowd grew
quickly.

In San Antonio, protesters holding Palestinian flags obstructed both sides
of the Valero Energy Company headquarters, causing traffic congestion on
the city’s northwest side.
[image: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march during a 'Strike for Gaza'
protest calling for a permanent ceasefire]Pro-Palestinian protests hit the
US [Mario Tama/AFP]
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