![]() He compared what the protesters did on the bridge – preventing thousands of people from getting to work, the airport and other important places – to the peaceful demonstration of about 290,000 Jews and allies earlier this week in Washington, D.C., asking for the release of 240 Israeli hostages. Marco Sermoneta, the San Francisco-based Consul General of Israel, called AROC "vehemently antisemitic." 16, 2023Ī representative from the Israeli government was extremely critical of the protest and the organizers. That wasn't the goal."īut since Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are in town for APEC, Parsigain said the group "couldn't let it just be business as usual."ĬHP officers arrest at least 50 people on the Bay Bridge. "I do think we got the message across," Parsigain said. Speaking on the bridge, Zoe Parsigain said the goal of the event was to demand a ceasefire. She said they would all stay out as long as they could, before they were kicked off.Īs she tells it, Mizar said the commuters didn't seem to mind not being able to move for more than an hour – although that was heavily disputed on social media with people complaining about the traffic nightmare.ĪROC is the same group that protested at the Port of Oakland earlier this month. In an interview from the bridge, Aisha Mizar, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, said they were very excited to be out on the bridge, west of Treasure Island, gaining attention for their cause. The CHP said dozens of protesters threw their car keys into the bay, forcing the vehicles to be towed away, creating more havoc on the bridge.Ī KTVU cameraman managed to walk along the span of the bridge, livestreaming video of protesters lying in body bags, with fake blood smeared on them to represent the Palestinian lives lost in the war.ĬHP officers in riot gear calmly told protesters to disperse. The move makes it hard for police to cut off their cuffs. Many chained themselves together, chanting "Free Palestine" and "We want justice." They also used a "sleeping dragon" maneuver, handcuffing themselves together with PVC pipe. "Bay Area has shut down the Bay Bridge to demand #CeasefireNOW. "There’s a genocide happening in #Gaza and is hosting cocktail parties in #SanFrancisco," AROC tweeted. The Arab Resource and Organizing Center was among the organizers of the Bay Bridge blockage, demanding a ceasefire, and calling out President Joe Biden to do more for the Palestinians - 11,000 of whom have so far died in the war between Israel and Hamas. Pro-Palestine protesters shut down the Bay Bridge on Thursday morning, tying up traffic during the morning commute and calling out to world leaders to end the war in Gaza during the APEC Summit. Pro-Palestine protesters shut down Bay Bridge during APEC Summit Potential criminal charges will have to be sorted out by the San Francisco District Attorney, Beauchamp said. However, the slowdown was not expected to affect the outcome for patients, Suzane Leigh said in an email. The traffic jam delayed the delivery of organs for transplant procedures at hospitals, a spokesperson for UCSF told KTVU. ![]() "I don't necessarily call it a peaceful protest when you stop tens of thousands of people from being able to get to the hospital, being able to get to school, being able to get to work," he said. "We were here within a couple minutes."īeauchamp said 150 officers showed up and performed their duties, loading protesters peacefully onto buses to be cited and released.Īnd while the protesters did not throw bottles or rocks or get violent, Beauchamp criticized what they did. "We were not caught off guard," Beauchamp said adamantly. ![]() Montiel first explained that the CHP had been planning for APEC for months and had closed one lane on the bridge as a preventative measure.īut he added that protesters sought out "an area where there were no units," conceding when pressed: "We can't get everything right 100%."ĬHP Chief Ezery Beauchamp, tried to change the narrative later at an impromptu press conference on the bridge. ![]() "This was very well planned," California Highway Patrol Officer Art Montiel told KTVU.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |