Anti-war activists lock themselves to a ladder leading up to a US military supply ship, at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California, November 3, 2023 – Russia Today
Demonstrators demanding an end to the war in Gaza delayed a US military supply vessel for several hours on Friday. Some activists attached themselves to the reservist vessel MV Cape Orlando, which was believed to be bound for Israel with weapons and gear.
Led by the San Francisco-based Arab Resource Organizing Center, the protest began early in the morning at the Port of Oakland and lasted into the afternoon, with some members climbing aboard the military container carrier ship using a rope ladder.
“It’s a US military ship. It’s destined to go to Tacoma [Washington], pick up US military arms and then take those arms to Israel,”Palestinian protester Meena Abushamala told local media. A spokesman for the group, Wassim Hage, added that they learned of the shipment through a “confidential source.”
Footage of the protest was captured by local news outlets, showing a small crowd of activists near the ship, as well as a larger group blocking off the entrance to the ship’s berth. A total of 200 people reportedly attended the event.
Though a US Coast Guard negotiator reportedly attempted to persuade protesters to leave the vessel, the effort failed.
The demonstrators were removed from the ship around 3pm local time, with the protest group saying three members were detained by the Coast Guard, which has federal jurisdiction over the waters. The Oakland Police noted that it monitored the action, but said it made no arrests.
Given the ongoing probe, Coast Guard spokesman Hunter Schnabel declined to offer details on the case, but said that “multiple individuals are currently under investigation” in connection to Friday’s protest.
Activists said they hoped the action would have an impact on US lawmakers, who are now considering more than $14 billion in military aid for Israel. The assistance passed through the House on Thursday, and now must clear final hurdles in the Senate.
Similar pro-Palestine protests have erupted across the US in recent weeks. During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, a group of demonstrators disrupted the event, some interrupting Secretary of State Antony Blinken as he testified in support of increased military aid to Israel.
The latest flare-up in Gaza followed a deadly Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, with Israel launching weeks of heavy airstrikes and a ground assault in retaliation. Some 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the fighting, in addition to more than 9,000 Palestinians, according to local officials.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Berlin on Saturday demanding an end to Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza. Local authorities have heavily restricted pro-Palestine protests.
Some 6,000 people marched in the German capital, the DPA press agency reported, although some leftist groups involved in organizing the rally claimed that more than five times that number took part.
Video footage shot by RT showed crowds holding Palestinian flags and placards reading “stop the genocide,”“how many kids have to die?” and “ceasefire now.”
Berlin and other German cities responded to the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war by banning all pro-Palestine demonstrations. Several illegal protests were held in Berlin, with 65 police officers injured and 174 protesters arrested at a rally that turned violent in the city in late October.
The ban has since been relaxed, with authorized demonstrations permitted. Expressions of support for Hamas or other militant groups, as well as slogans deemed anti-Semitic or anti-Israel are forbidden at these officially sanctioned rallies. German federal law also prohibits the glorification of violence and the burning of the Israeli flag.
On Thursday, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced a ban on all pro-Hamas activity and dissolved the German branch of Samidoun, a group that organizes pro-Palestine rallies in Europe and the US. Faeser accused Samidoun of holding “jubilant celebrations” when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7.
The crackdown has been condemned by a group of more than 100 German Jewish intellectuals. In an open letter last month, the group accused police of using anti-Semitism as an excuse “to suppress legitimate and non-violent political expression, which may include criticism of Israel.”
Saturday’s rally was peaceful, with police reporting the arrest of only one person; a woman who allegedly attacked a journalist.
Similar protests were held in cities across Europe, with rallies in Paris and London drawing huge crowds. London’s Metropolitan Police said that they cleared a group of demonstrators who sat in the street blocking a traffic intersection at Oxford Circus, and arrested a total of 11 people throughout the afternoon, one of whom allegedly carried a “placard that could incite hatred.”
In Paris, thousands of demonstrators marched in defiance of a ban on pro-Palestinian protests. The crowd were heard chanting “Israel assassin, Macron accomplice,” referring to French President Emmanuel Macron’s offer of troops to fight Hamas.
