Hundreds of protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza disrupted westbound morning traffic into San Francisco Nov. 16 beginning around 7:40 a.m., as individuals stretched across lanes with some chained to the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge.
Videos circulating on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, showed protesters chanting “ceasefire now,” as they shut down one side of the bridge while unfurling banners reading “stop genocide” and “no U.S. military aid to Israel.”
Organizers called the event a “die-in,” as individuals laid on the I-80 Freeway while covered in white sheets feigning death—an act of solidarity with those killed in fighting in the Middle East, protesters said in social media posts.
California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers responded in force, with many wearing tactical gear, including face shields and protective vests.
More than 70 were detained, cited, and released, and multiple vehicles were towed, a CHP spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
Traffic was reopened fully by noon, according to the CHP.
The protest comes as President Joe Biden meets with leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the Asian Pacific Economic Conference in San Francisco featuring leaders from 21 nations.
Oakland has also experienced multiple organized protests recently, with a crowd of protesters demanding a ceasefire at an Oakland City Council meeting Nov. 7. Dozens were arrested Nov. 13 after taking over a federal building in the city.
Similar uprisings have occurred in cities across the country in recent weeks, from Los Angeles to New York, following Israel’s military response to a surprise attack from Hamas on Oct. 7.
