Gaza war protesters shut down busy L.A. freeway

[SunSeeker]

A group of demonstrators blocked part of the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles during Tuesday morning’s commute.

According to CHP Officer Mike Naser, the freeway was shut down at National Boulevard as of 9:10 a.m. but was completely reopened just over an hour after the protest started.

Sky5 footage shows CHP officers detaining several demonstrators, who are part of a coalition of American Jews and allies, according to a press release from IfNotNowLA, which dubs itself “a movement of anti-Apartheid American Jews working to end our community’s support for the Israeli occupation of Palestine.”

A total of eight arrests were made, CHP confirmed to KTLA, adding that there were around 40 protesters, most of whom left on foot when police arrived.

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/l-a-jews-allies-shut-down-405-freeway-during-morning-commute/

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Shutting down a freeway can kill, for example when ambulances blocked

It is not peaceful protest, not civil disobedience. It is criminal sabotage.

[SunSeeker]

2. Agreed. I don't understand why LAPD let these 40 idiots block the 405 for a whole hour during rush hour.

[perdita9]

3. This will not help the cause

All it will do is piss people off. I'm sympathetic to Gaza but stuff like this just disgusts me and makes me think the protesters don't know what they're doing.

[IcyPeas]

4. Thousands of enraged drivers on the 405 at rush hour. Great. 🤬

[kansasobama]

5. Gaza protesters should protest Hamas, not Biden

Protesting on highways in US does not help anything. It will not bring Hamas to the peace talks.

[Auggie]

6. They should read the L.A. Times: Golden Gate Bridge protesters are facing serious charges

The San Francisco district attorney’s office announced in a news release Monday that arrest warrants were issued for the 26 people who participated in the April 15 protest. All 26 surrendered to law enforcement, according to the California Highway Patrol, but they have not appeared in court or been assigned legal representation.

SNIP

The district attorney’s office charged the 26 with trespassing to interfere with a business, obstruction of a thoroughfare, unlawful assembly, refusal to disperse at a riot, failure to obey the orders of police and 38 counts of false imprisonment. Eight of the defendants also face a felony conspiracy charge, and the rest face a misdemeanor conspiracy charge.

SNIP

The protesters gathered shortly before 8 a.m. on April 15 on the Golden Gate Bridge, where they abandoned their vehicles and chained their bodies together while holding up signs. The group’s members were warned repeatedly by police and other officials that they would be arrested if they did not move, but the group ignored them, according to the D.A.’s office.

SNIP

Roughly 12,000 vehicles travel south and 8,000 vehicles travel north on the bridge between the hours of 8 a.m. and noon, according to the Golden Gate Bridge District, which the D.A.’s office claims lost more than $162,000 in revenue due to the protest.

Full story, no paywall: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-08-13/pro-palestinian-protesters-charged-for-closing-down-golden-gate-bridge