Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt traffic at Golden Gate Bridge, O’Hare airport and other sites across US
More than 250 people were arrested or taken into custody across the US Monday as pro-Palestinian protesters blocked roads and one of the country’s most famous bridges.
In places from San Francisco and Seattle to Chicago and the East Coast cities of Miami and New York, demonstrators disrupted traffic – including during rush hour – and blocked travelers from getting to major airports to protest the US supporting Israel in the war in Gaza.
On Monday, President Joe Biden, while addressing Iran’s attack on Israel over the weekend, said he remains focused on Israel’s security, reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, freeing the hostages taken by Hamas and preventing the conflict from spreading.
Dozens of protesters blocked rush-hour traffic on the iconic Golden Gate Bridge on Monday morning.
Protesters held signs, including one that read, “Stop the world for Gaza.” Some protesters chained themselves to vehicles on the bridge, authorities said. The bridge didn’t fully reopen for several hours.
Demonstrators also blocked vehicle flow in two other places in the Bay Area, some attaching themselves to drums filled with concrete and rebar, which officials said slowed efforts to reopen roads.
“It was an orchestrated event that they put forth,” California Highway Patrol Chief Don Goodbrand said. “They blocked three separate locations on freeways. They prevented law enforcement, paramedics, ambulances from getting to their points of destination.”
More than 30 people were arrested, according to the highway patrol.
In Oregon, 52 people were arrested after scores of law enforcement officers responded to a protest that blocked lanes of Interstate 5 near Eugene.
Oregon State Police said six vehicles were towed from the scene.
Airline passengers walk around protests to make flights
Roads to two major US airports also became the scene of protests. In Chicago and Seattle, people trying to catch their flights ended up getting out of vehicles and walking to their terminals.
According to CNN affiliate WLS, protesters stopped traffic from moving on a road to Terminal 1 at Chicago’s O’Hare airport during the morning rush.
“Enough is enough. The US government has given us no choice but to disrupt business as usual,” demonstrator Simone Tucker told WLS.
About 40 people were taken into custody, Chicago police said.
In Seattle, protesters appeared to block the road leading to the Seattle-Tacoma airport with several vehicles and demonstrators held a sign reading: “Our taxes are funding genocide.”
KOMO, a CNN affiliate, reported: “Some passengers could be seen walking past the protest, rolling their bags down the road as they try and catch their flights.”
More than 40 people were arrested, an airport spokesperson said.
In Miami, at least two groups of protesters could be seen on opposite sides of a busy street holding Palestinian flags. Police reported seven arrests.
In New York, dozens of people gathered on Wall Street, carrying flags and holding signs. There was also a protest near the Brooklyn Bridge. While some people were arrested, New York police didn’t provide a specific number.
Police in Philadelphia made 68 arrests, a spokesperson for the police department told CNN.
US has provided military aid to Israel
Hamas fighters launched a bloody attack on Israel from Gaza on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage. Since Israel declared war on Hamas, more than 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 76,000 have been injured, according to the health ministry in the besieged enclave.
The US has provided support and military aid to Israel following Hamas’ attack, though divisions between the two countries’ leaders have appeared over mounting civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Here’s how to help humanitarian efforts in Gaza and Israel.
CNN’s Cindy Von Quednow and Brammhi Balarajan contributed to this report.
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