Pro-Palestinian protesters block U.S. ship at Port of Oakland over U.S. support for Israel.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in California trespassed at the Port of Oakland, blocking a U.S. government ship in protest of U.S. support for Israel. About 200 protesters gathered near The Cape Orlando, a merchant marine ship managed by the Department of Transportation, while an additional group gathered at the closed port entrance. Three protesters held onto a rope ladder, preventing the ship’s door from being closed. Demonstrators chanted slogans like “Joe Biden you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!” and displayed Palestinian flags and banners calling for a ceasefire and an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. A negotiator from the U.S. Coast Guard’s attempts to remove the protesters from the ship proved unsuccessful.
The protests took place a day after the House of Representatives approved $14.3 billion in federal aid to Israel in a 226 to 196 vote, with 12 Democrats joining Republicans to pass the bill. Under the legislation, funds will be reallocated from the President’s Inflation Reduction Act, initially intended for the IRS. Only two Republicans voted against the bill: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie.
The demonstrators, organized by the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, aimed to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people. While the Oakland Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard had not immediately responded regarding arrests, the protesters’ action at the Port of Oakland emphasized the ongoing controversy and anger surrounding U.S. support for Israel, particularly in the wake of the recent conflict between Israel and Palestine.
