OAKLAND — Hundreds of protesters marched Friday morning in front of the Port of Oakland with the desire to block cargo on an Israeli ship from being delivered.
The Arab Resource & Organizing Center expected more than 500 people at Berth 30 near the Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in the 2700 block of Middle Harbor Road.
Protesters chanted, “Back up! Back up! We want Freedom, Freedom! All these Zionist attacks, we don’t need ’em, need ’em.”
“Back up! Back up! We want Freedom, Freedom! All these Zionist attacks, we don’t need ‘em, need ‘em!” #BlockTheBoat #BDS #EndIsraeliApartheid #Oakland pic.twitter.com/ctnsU4IjKQ
— AROC #BlocktheBoat (@AROCBayArea) June 4, 2021
“We wonder if doing business with ZIM is worth it to the Port of Oakland, employers at the Port and other shipping companies,” AROC executive director Lara Kiswani said in a statement. “We honor the workers here in Oakland and Palestine and are sending a clear message that profiteering from Israel’s apartheid and ongoing violence against the Palestinian people will not be welcome in the Bay Area.”
Protesters arrived around 6 a.m. to prevent the ship operated by an Israeli shipping company from unloading its cargo. The Israeli owned ZIM-operated Volans ship docked Friday morning after being delayed for 17 days.
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