Activists protesting the ongoing conflict in Gaza disrupted traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Monday, causing major delays.
According to authorities, around 7:30 a.m., dozens of demonstrators stopped their vehicles and blocked all southbound lanes of the bridge. The protesters were chained together and to their cars, demanding the U.S. stop providing support to Israel.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) quickly responded, issuing a Sig-alert and closing off the northbound lanes as well. CHP Marin reported that around 10:30 a.m., arrests began, with a total of 26 people taken into custody.
“You can protest any which way you want. But it is unlawful to block a roadway and to prevent people from getting to work, emergency personnel from getting to help people. You can’t do it,” said CHP Golden Gate Division Chief Don Goodbrand.
Along with conspiracy charges, the protesters face a range of other violations, including vehicle code infractions and false imprisonment of the drivers trapped on the bridge during the demonstration.
The Golden Gate Bridge was closed for around five hours, finally reopening around 12:15 p.m. Similar pro-Palestinian protests also took place in other U.S. cities, including Chicago and New York, leading to additional arrests.
The actions were intended to draw attention to the conflict in Gaza, where more than 30,000 people have been killed, including many civilians, since the latest outbreak of violence between Israel and Hamas last October.
