Staff
Protesters advocating for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict caused a traffic standstill on the 1-10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. The demonstration, initiated around 9:30 a.m., was orchestrated by a group called IfNotNow, identifying itself as a movement of American Jews advocating for the cessation of U.S. support for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
“As Jews, we cannot sit by as the people of Gaza are starved and slaughtered [in] our name. And as Americans, we can’t let Biden & Congress send billions more in funding for Israeli war crimes. We have shut down the freeway to call for a #CeasefireNOW, which 66% of Americans support,” the group posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The demonstration not only disrupted travel, affecting thousands of drivers with all six southbound lanes of the freeway blocked, but also resulted in 75 arrests in connection with the protest, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Protesters were informed by authorities that the assembly was deemed unlawful, and despite being asked to disperse, the group resisted. They insisted on remaining until each member was individually handcuffed and taken away to confront criminal charges.
“There was a scuffle. Demonstrators were fighting with some of the motorists who got out of their cars,” according to KTLA. “They started fighting and punching, and I think the police got in there to break it up.”
Last month, a demonstration in Los Angeles led to the shutdown of a portion of Hollywood Boulevard, and in San Francisco, dozens of protesters calling for a ceasefire were arrested after blocking traffic on the Bay Bridge.
The ongoing conflict, which began after the 7 October attacks by Hamas, has resulted in more than 18,000 Palestinians killed, while 1,200 Israelis lost their lives.