A group of protestors demanding an end to the Israel-Hamas war shut down traffic on the Central Freeway in downtown San Francisco for about 90 minutes over the weekend, the California Highway Patrol said.
A large demonstration on city streets moved onto the freeway about 4 p.m. on Saturday, shutting down a quarter-mile section from the South Van Ness/Mission exit to the Octavia/Market exit, said CHP Officer Mark Andrews, a highway patrol spokesman.
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management said the highway was reopened about 5:30 p.m., but advised drivers to expect continued delays.
“The world is watching a genocide unfold,” Lara Kiswani, executive director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, said in a press release. “We are taking a stand to say no to genocide, no to war, no to invasion. Ceasefire now.”
Biden’s move toward ‘horrific path’
More than 7,000 Gazans have been killed, including at least 3,000 children, and over 1.4 million displaced, Bay Area communities have continuously rallied to demand a ceasefire to end the ongoing Palestinian genocide and to stop U.S. military aid to Israel.
“Israel’s ground invasion will escalate the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza,” said Kiswani. “With his blank check to Israel, Biden is sending us down a horrific path: we will see more Palestinians murdered, more bombs dropped, more war. The only solution for a sustainable peace is an immediate ceasefire and an end to U.S. funding to Israel.”
The United Nations passed a resolution on a 120-14 vote Friday calling for a ceasefire. The United States and Israel voted against it.
Public outcry to end the Israeli occupation has been mounting, causing Biden’s approval rating to drop 11 points this month. It is also worth noting that over 65 percent of voters across all parties urge a ceasefire in Gaza.
Bay City News staff Wendy Medina contributed to this report.