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By Andrew Stanton
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Pro-Palestinian protesters shut down the Bay Bridge near San Francisco, California, Thursday morning demanding a ceasefire of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Dozens of protesters carried signs that read "Stop the Genocide" and "No Military Aid to Israel" while chanting "ceasefire now" on the bridge connecting San Francisco to Oakland, halting traffic between the two cities, according to video footage of the protest posted to social media.
Some progressives have taken to protests to urge President Joe Biden to support a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Hamas on October 7, 2023, launched thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, taking more than 240 hostages, the country's military has said. Israel then launched rockets into Gaza, cutting off access to water, food and electricity into the territory. So far, at least 11,000 people in Gaza and 1,400 people in Israel have been killed in the conflict, according to the Associated Press.
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Critics of Israel have pointed to that death toll to justify calls for a ceasefire, raising concerns about humanitarian conditions among civilians amid Israel's ground operations. Israel's supporters, however, argue the country has a right to respond to the attack and should not consider a ceasefire until all hostages are returned.
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Protesters' shutting down the Bay Bridge sparked outrage from social media users, who argued this tactic is counterproductive and could disrupt emergency vehicles traveling across the San Francisco Bay.
The protest comes as President Joe Biden is traveling to San Francisco for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, a meeting of several economic powers in the Pacific region.
Newsweek reached out to the California Highway Patrol for comment via email.
"Left wing activists shut down the Bay Bridge during peak commuting hours. Doing this is a really good way to get people to hate you and your cause no matter what your cause is. People who do this pose a threat to stranded drivers jobs and health. They deserve hard prison time. Do you agree or disagree?" Robby Starbuck, a former Republican Congressional candidate, posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
"Bay Bridge was just shut down by pro-Palestinian protestors who could care less about emergency vehicles trying to get through to save someone's life," posted X user Paul Szypula.
"It's good to see the left is taking out their anger and frustrations about issues completely unrelated to them on the working class - as usual," wrote commentator Craig Chamberlin.
Others supported the bridge being shut down for the protest.
"The Bay Bridge is SHUT DOWN. Biden will not get away with genocide, Biden will not get away with staying in San Francisco without EVERYONE knowing he is supporting the slaughter in Gaza. No more genocide, ceasefire NOW," posted activist Ariel Koren.
California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers declared the protest an unlawful assembly and are making arrests at the scene reported local news station KGO.
Several pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations have occurred across the United States since October 7.
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