The California Highway Patrol (CHP) warned that tactics used by pro-Palestinian demonstrators who blocked traffic and bridges on Monday “will not be tolerated.”
The highway patrol said that some 38 people were arrested after the incidents in which protesters blocked the Golden Gate Bridge and Interstate 880 in the Bay Area. Demonstrators at one point held up a sign that read, “Stop the world for Gaza,” attaching themselves to drums filled with concrete.
“Attempting to block or shut down a freeway or state highway to protest is unlawful, dangerous, and prevents motorists from safely reaching their destinations. As necessary, the CHP will take enforcement action that includes, but is not limited to, issuing citations, impounding vehicles, arresting individuals who intentionally block traffic on the state’s transportation system or pose a threat to public safety,” a release from the CHP said.
The “tactics utilized by unlawful protesters” on I-880 and the Golden Gate Bridge, it added, are “unlawful and will not be tolerated.” Arrests were made by CHP officers and the highway patrol said it is “recommending charges,” the release said.
Authorities used tools to cut into the concrete-filled barrels to remove the protesters, the CHP told local outlets.
Due to those tactics, traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area was snarled for hours, according to local media reports. One local outlet reported that traffic was blocked on the Golden Gate Bridge starting at around 7:30 a.m. local time and reopened at around 12:15 pm.
On social media, the CHP noted that it received “numerous calls” about “why we didn’t just arrest protesters as soon as we arrived.”
Officials said other protesters rode in cars and joined their limbs with “chains concealed with pipes,” the CHP said in another post.
“This was a complex operation, and the California Highway Patrol made every effort to get the lanes open as quickly as possible,” the CHP wrote on Facebook. “As calls came in for service, we deployed personnel accordingly to each event. Our disentanglement team was able to successfully defeat the intricate devices the protestors utilized, while minimizing the risk of injuries to the public, protestors, and Department Personnel.”
It wasn’t just the California Bay Area that saw traffic disruptions on Monday. Protesters marching into Brooklyn blocked Manhattan-bound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. In Eugene, Oregon, protesters blocked Interstate 5, shutting down traffic on the major highway for about 45 minutes, officials said. Protestors also blocked traffic to Chicago’s O'Hare Airport, causing people to get out of their cars and walk to catch their flights.
Oregon State Police said 52 protestors were arrested for disorderly conduct following the Interstate 5 protest in Eugene, Oregon, about 110 miles south of Portland. Six vehicles were towed from the scene.
New York Police made numerous arrests, saying 150 protesters were initially involved in the march around 3:15 p.m., but that number quickly grew. The bridge was fully reopened by 5 p.m.
In Chicago, dozens of protesters were arrested, according to a spokesman. Chicago police said Monday that “multiple people” were taken into custody after a protest where people obstructed traffic, but they did not have a detailed count.
Frequent protests have erupted in major U.S. cities since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack that left 1,200 Israeli civilians dead, taking more than 200 hostages. Israel responded with significant airstrikes and a rare ground incursion into Gaza in what Israeli officials say is a bid to root out Hamas’ leadership.
The demonstrations also came just over a day after Iran launched a barrage of explosive drones and missiles at Israel, the first-ever direct Iranian attack targeting Israel. However, Israeli officials say that the vast majority of the drones and missiles were intercepted outside of Israeli territory.
