The Golden Gate Bridge reopened after a pro-Palestinian protest caused a major disruption in both directions on Monday. The protest led to traffic being halted on the bridge for hours as police and CHP officers arrested protesters and cleared the lanes. Chopper footage showed protesters with a banner that read “STOP THE WORLD FOR GAZA” across the southbound lanes, with traffic at a standstill and vehicles backed up through the Robin Williams Tunnel and well past Sausalito on southbound 101.
While the protesters only occupied the southbound lanes of the bridge, CHP closed the northbound lanes as well in an effort to clear the protest. By noon, 20 people had been arrested in total as authorities worked to remove the vehicles that protesters had used to block lanes on the bridge. The actions were part of an “economic blockade” coordinated with protests worldwide to target the global economy for its complicity in Israel’s actions against Palestinians.
In addition to the protest on the Golden Gate Bridge, more demonstrations were planned in San Francisco and Fremont by various groups. This protest follows a similar demonstration on the bridge last February, although that one did not result in any arrests or a prolonged closure of the freeway. These coordinated actions aim to draw attention to the ongoing conflict and encourage global solidarity with the Palestinian people.