California Highway Patrol arrested nine demonstrators who were blocking the 405 freeway in West Los Angeles Tuesday morning, protesting the US’s continued support for Israel in its war in Gaza, CNN reported.
A group of 50 pro-Palestinian protesters, led by If Not Now (INN), a self-described Jewish anti-Zionist organization, briefly shut down the 405 freeway in West Los Angeles on Tuesday morning, leading to massive traffic buildup, according to the LA Times.
Breaking: Pro-Palestine protesters have shut down the freeway in LA. All cars are stopped due to 50 activists blocking vehicles.Last time they shut down a bridge, someone missed an appointment for a brain tumor removal, and a disabled child was sent to the hospital. pic.twitter.com/1VGeyuk0uj
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) August 13, 2024
The protesters sat in lanes blocking the freeway during rush hour, calling for the US to end its support to Israel.
The demonstration was cleared in under 30 minutes, the LA Times reported.
‘Jews reject AIPAC’
At the demonstration, INN members held signs that stated, “Jews reject AIPAC, arms embargo now,” referring to the pro-Israel political lobbying organization.
INN posted an image of this sign to their X account, formerly Twitter, with the caption, “LA Jews & allies with @IfNotNowLA shut down the 405-S freeway on Tisha B’Av to demand an arms embargo on Israel and an immediate ceasefire. Tisha B’Av is a day of immense sorrow. Today, we mourn. Today, we say no more. Today, we say #NotAnotherBomb.”
JUST NOW: LA Jews & allies with @IfNotNowLA shut down the 405-S freeway on Tisha B’Av to demand an arms embargo on Israel and an immediate ceasefire.Tisha B’Av is a day of immense sorrow.Today, we mourn. Today, we say no more. Today, we say #NotAnotherBomb.: Rocky Douieb pic.twitter.com/KX6mZPsZWT
— IfNotNow✡️ (@IfNotNowOrg) August 13, 2024
“To all those stuck in traffic, we sincerely apologize for the disruption to your day,” INN Los Angeles said in an Instagram post. “We are especially sorry to the working class people whose lives have been affected. As a cross-class organization, we have a deep understanding of the impact of this kind of action. However, we also know that what hurts working-class people more than standstill traffic is our tax money being spent on military aid to Israel while working families struggle to make ends meet in our own communities.”
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