Oakland Rallies to Block Boat Carrying Israeli Arms Shipment

Protesters at the port of Oakland, California blocked the loading of weapons onto ships headed for Israel on November 3rd, as demonstrators continued to oppose the ongoing attacks and ethnic cleaning within the occupied Palestinian territories. According to ABC 7, “This demonstration happened less than 24 hours after the House passed a $14.3 billion aid package to Israel.”

In Oakland, several hundred protesters shut down Berth 20, where the container carrier Cape Orlando was docked. Longshore workers, unionized with the ILWU, refused to cross the picket line and load the weapons. Former longshoreman and union militant Clarence Thomas stated to ABC7 at the blockade: “I also think that it’s important for people to understand that our tax dollars are going for these weapons that are being dropped on innocent women and children and I believe that that’s wrong, those dollars could be better spent here in the United States of America. “When longshore workers disrupt international cargo, it impacts trucking as well as train stops so we play a very important role and part of that is because of the tradition of ILWU workers being the social conscience of the working class.”

Oakland based journalist Omar Yassin reporting on social media, wrote that demonstrators also climbed inside of a hatch on the Cape Orlando vessel in an effort to further “block the boat.” The SF Chronicle reported, “At least three individuals scaled the Cape Orlando, with reports suggesting they may have chained themselves to the ship’s structure.”

The Cape Orlando vessel reportedly is heading to another port in Tacoma, Washington, before delivering its payload in Israel. As the Arab Resource and Organizing Center wrote:

The vessel is en route to Tacoma, WA according to publicly available tracking information; confidential sources at the port say that the vessel will be loaded with weapons and military equipment in Tacoma, with a final destination in Israel.

Protests also took place at a port in Vancouver, British Columbia, where demonstrators blocked cargo trucks heading into the port.

Video via Critical Resistance on Twitter

Photo via AROC