Demonstrators block highways and shut down journey in Illinois, California, New York and the Pacific Northwest.
Professional-Palestinian protesters have blocked main roads within the states of Illinois, California, New York and the Pacific Northwest, briefly stopping journey into a number of the United States’s most closely used airports, onto the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges and alongside a busy West Coast freeway.
In Chicago, protesters linked arms and blocked lanes of Interstate 190 main into O’Hare Worldwide Airport at about 7am (12:00 GMT) on Monday in an illustration they mentioned was a part of a worldwide “financial blockade to free Palestine”, in accordance with Rifqa Falaneh, one of many organisers.
Protesters say they selected O’Hare partially as a result of it is likely one of the largest airports within the US. Dozens had been arrested, in accordance with Falaneh. Chicago police mentioned that “a number of individuals” had been taken into custody after a protest the place individuals obstructed site visitors however didn’t present an in depth depend.
In California, demonstrators blocked lanes on the northbound I-880 in Oakland by chaining themselves to barrels, whereas a separate group of protesters with banners disrupted site visitors on the southbound lanes. On the Golden Gate Bridge, protesters impeded site visitors in each instructions, displaying a banner that learn, “Cease the world for Gaza.”
In Eugene, Oregon, protesters blocked Interstate 5, shutting down site visitors on the key freeway for about 45 minutes.
In the meantime, on the East Coast, protesters marching into Brooklyn blocked Manhattan-bound site visitors on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Antiwar protesters have held demonstrations in Chicago practically each day since Hamas’s October 7 assault on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 individuals, triggered an Israeli assault on Gaza that has killed greater than 33,700 Palestinians, in accordance with the Gaza Ministry of Well being.
O’Hare warned travellers on social platform X to search out alternative routes to get to the airport, with automobile journey “considerably delayed this morning resulting from protest exercise”.
Some travellers caught in standstill site visitors left their vehicles and walked the ultimate leg to the airport alongside the freeway, trailing their baggage behind them.
“This was an inconvenience,” Madeline Hannan from suburban Chicago mentioned in a phone interview as she was heading to Florida. “However within the grand scheme of issues happening abroad, it’s a minor inconvenience.”
Inbound site visitors in the direction of O’Hare resumed at about 9am (14:00 GMT).
Arrests and requires Gaza ceasefire
Close to Seattle, the Washington State Division of Transportation mentioned an illustration closed the principle street to Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport. Social media posts confirmed individuals holding a banner and waving Palestinian flags whereas standing on the freeway, which reopened about three hours later.
About 20 protesters had been arrested on the Golden Gate Bridge demonstration and site visitors resumed shortly after midday, in accordance with the California Freeway Patrol. The company mentioned officers had been making arrests at two factors on the freeway, together with one spot the place roughly 300 protesters refused orders to disperse.
“Trying to dam or shut down a freeway or state freeway to protest is illegal, harmful, and prevents motorists from safely reaching their locations,” the company mentioned in a press release.
Oregon State Police mentioned 52 protesters had been arrested for disorderly conduct following the Interstate 5 protest in Eugene, Oregon, about 177km (110 miles) south of Portland. Six autos had been towed from the scene.
New York Police made quite a few arrests, saying 150 protesters had been initially concerned within the march at about 3:15 pm (19:15 GMT) however that the group grew rapidly.
In San Antonio, protesters holding Palestinian flags obstructed each side of the Valero Power Firm headquarters, inflicting site visitors congestion on town’s northwest aspect.
