Golden Gate Bridge Briefly Blocked by Activists Calling for Cease-Fire in Gaza

Roughly two dozen pro-Palestinian activists calling for a cease-fire in Gaza briefly blocked traffic in both directions on the Golden Gate Bridge on Wednesday morning.

The protest, which began shortly after 7:30 a.m., halted traffic at the mid-span of the bridge for approximately 20 minutes and was cleared just after 8 a.m., according to Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, director of public affairs for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District.

Chanting “Free Palestine,” protesters locked arms across all lanes of the bridge and unfurled a banner that said “Stop Arming Israel” and “Hands off Rafah.”

“Our security staff were on scene within minutes and the protesters cleared soon thereafter without incident,” Cosulich-Schwartz said in an email. “No arrests are currently being reported by CHP.”

A California Highway Patrol official added that there were “some possible scuffles between motorists and some of the protesters” but said no injuries had been reported.

The protest comes in response to news of Israeli bombings and an impending military campaign in Rafah, a city in the southernmost region of the Gaza Strip, where some 1.4 million Palestinians have sought refuge, many of whom have fled from elsewhere in the war-torn enclave. A top United Nations official this week warned of a “slaughter” if Israel follows through with its plans to attack the city, and President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “not proceed” without a plan to protect civilians.

The protesters on Wednesday renewed calls for a cease-fire in the region and demanded an end to U.S. aid to Israel and an increase in humanitarian support in Gaza.

“There is a genocide being committed in Palestine right now that’s being entirely funded and emboldened by the United States,” said Mansi Kathuria, who helped organize the action. “In this moment, we specifically are heartbroken seeing the violence unfolding in Rafah, where 1.5 million Palestinians who have already been displaced are now being bombed as well as being starved.”

Wednesday’s action follows a much larger pro-Palestinian protest on the Bay Bridge on Nov. 16, which snarled traffic for several hours during the morning commute and resulted in about 80 arrests.

Since Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping some 250 others, Israel has engaged in a relentless air and ground bombardment of Gaza, killing more than 28,000 people, according to the Gazan Health Ministry and creating a humanitarian disaster. The ongoing conflict has sparked frequent, intense protests throughout the Bay Area and in cities across the country, prompting a small but growing number of local governments to pass resolutions calling for a cease-fire.