Pro-Palestinian protesters throw their car keys into the water as they close a major bridge during rush hour.
A mob of pro-Palestinian protesters during rush hour Thursday morning stopped their vehicles and blocked traffic on the Bay Bridge, which connects San Francisco and Oakland, and then proceeded to throw their car keys into the water, causing which forced their vehicles to be towed.
What are the details?
The chaos began around 7:45 a.m. and ended four hours later with at least 70 arrests and 29 cars towed. KTVU-TV reportedadding that all lanes finally reopened shortly before noon.
“This was very well planned,” California Highway Patrol Officer Art Montiel told the station.
More from KTVU:
The Arab Resource and Organization Center was among the organizers of the Bay Bridge blockade, demanding a ceasefire and calling on President Joe Biden to do more for the Palestinians, 11,000 of whom have died so far in the war between Israel and Hamas.
“Genocide is happening in #Gaza and @POTUS is hosting cocktail parties in #SanFrancisco,” AROC tweeted. “The Bay Area has closed the Bay Bridge to demand #CeasefireNOW. No more dollars for genocide.”
Many chained themselves and chanted “Free Palestine” and “We want justice.” They also used the “sleeping dragon” maneuver, handcuffing themselves with PVC pipes. The measure makes it difficult for police to cut their handcuffs. The CHP said dozens of protesters threw their car keys into the bay, forcing the vehicles to be towed and creating more havoc on the bridge.
A KTVU cameraman managed to walk the length of the bridge, streaming live video of protesters lying in body bags, with fake blood smeared on them to represent Palestinian lives lost in the war.
Aisha Mizar, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, told the station that she was excited to be on the bridge and draw attention to the cause. Believe it or not, Mizar added to KTVU that commuters didn’t seem to mind not being able to move for more than an hour, though the station said that observation didn’t jive with what angry and frustrated commuters were saying on social media.
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