Anti-Israel protesters block highways near O’Hare Airport, shut down Golden Gate Bridge
Anti-Israel protesters shut down San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in both directions for hours Monday while also creating traffic jams for drivers trying to reach Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
“Golden Gate Bridge is closed in both directions for an undetermined amount of time,” the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management said in a statement early Monday afternoon, citing a “civic demonstration.
“Expect delays and use alternate routes.”
The bridge reopened again in both directions by late afternoon.
Dozens of anti-Israel activists had stopped their vehicles on all southbound lanes of the famed California span starting around 7.30 a.m. to demand the end of US support of Israel’s war.
The move came hours before hundreds of anti-Israeli protesters wreaked havoc for drivers headed to Chicago’s O’Hare and also in Lower Manhattan in New York City, storming the Brooklyn Bridge and grinding traffic to a halt on its Manhattan-bound side as cops in riot gear fought to contain the unrest.
The California Highway Patrol issued a Sig-alert at about 8:10 a.m. for the southbound lanes of the Golden Gate Bridge and later closed off the northbound lanes as well. They also suspended pedestrian and bicycle traffic across the iconic bridge.
Almost five hours later, the California bridge was still shut down as traffic in the area ground to a halt — with several of the protesters having chained themselves to each other and authorities having to cut them free.
CHP Officer Andrew Barclay told The Post that some of the protesters used the “Sleeping Dragon” method — which involves pipes, barrels and linking arms — to chain themselves to each other inside cars.
“Protesters are chained to their vehicles on the Golden Gate Bridge,” Barclay said. “We have already arrested those who were not chained.
“We’re working to cut the chains away and clear lanes.”
Barclay said more than 20 people have been arrested on the bridge, as of noon local time.
Videos showed protesters unfurl a huge banner across the world-famous span that read: “Stop the world for Gaza.”
Hundreds of commuters and travelers took to social media to vent their frustrations.
“People who block traffic should be arrested,” one person wrote on X.
Another said: “This is why Jesus invented tasers.”
A third person wrote, “There’s no better way to make people dislike you and your cause.”
Officials urged travelers to take a bus or ferry instead of relying on access over the bridge.
Protesters also shut down Interstate 880 in Oakland before 7 a.m. local time.
Barrels linked with chains were placed in the road, and protesters sat in lawn chairs with arms entwined to thwart the flow of traffic.
CHP and Oakland police officers in riot gear responded to clear the demonstrators.
Elsewhere, cellphone videos circulating online showed activists sitting in the middle of Interstate 190 with their arms interlocked using long tubes to prevent cars from accessing Chicago’s O’Hare.
Many protesters were seen wearing checkered keffiyeh scarves and brandishing signs reading “Free Palestine” and “Stop Genocide.”
The stunt forced many travelers rushing to make their flights departing from Terminal 1 to grab their luggage and head to the airport on foot, as seen in videos.
Organizers say these protests are a part of A15, a worldwide economic blockade supporting Palestinians and calling for an arms embargo and an end to US taxpayer funding for Israel. Monday is the tax deadline for most Americans.
“On this Tax Day, when millions are paying taxes which fund the ongoing US and Israeli bombardment of Gaza, protestors seek to take dramatic action,” the group Chicago Dissenters wrote in an Instagram post. “O’Hare International Airport is one of the largest in the country, and there will be NO business as usual while Palestinians suffer at the hands of American funded bombing by Israel.”
By 9:30 a.m., the windy city’s officials said the roads had reopened to the airport, allowing traffic to resume flowing with “substantial” residual delays.
Passengers flying out of O’Hare were warned to “allow for extra time if traveling to the airport.”
Earlier, travelers were urged to consider alternative modes of transportation to the airport, including the CTA Blue Line, the airport wrote on X.
O’Hare International Airport is one of the world’s busiest hubs, serving about 83 million people per year.
