- More than thirty people were arrested in Philadelphia on Thursday evening after protesting against a ceasefire in Gaza
- A group of about 150 people first went to the bridge over I-76 and put up posters before more people got out of their cars and blocked the highway
- Similar demonstrations took place in Washington DC on Thursday and in Los Angeles on Wednesday
At least two dozen pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested and tied up as they blocked an I-76 in Philadelphia on Thursday evening.
The protesters called for a ceasefire in Gaza as they lined up and blocked traffic on the westbound lanes of the Schuylkill Expressway in Center City, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Police said a group of about 150 people with the Jewish Voice for Peace began gathering on the Spring Garden Street Bridge around 3:30 p.m., hanging banners reading “Let Gaza Live” and “A Truce Now.”
Protesters under the bridge then jumped out of cars and closed lanes on I-76 as Pennsylvania State Police and Philadelphia police approached the group.
Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said 32 people have been arrested and will be cited.
At least two dozen pro-Palestinian protesters were detained and tied up as they blocked an I-76 in Philadelphia on Thursday evening
Traffic was heavy on the highway as protesters hoped to get out of their cars, blocking westbound lanes and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Schuylkill Expressway has since reopened, but the Spring Garden Street Bridge above the highway remains closed.
Ceasefire rabbis also joined the protest other leaders and allies of the faith community.
The protesters describe themselves as “members of the Jewish community who support freedom and dignity for all people.”
Rabbi Alissa Wise, the leader of Rabbis for Ceasefire, said she could not celebrate the eighth and final night of Hanukkah while the war between Israel and Hamas continues.
“This is how we celebrate Hanukkah this year. This year means disrupting business as usual,” Wise said The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Rabbis on the bridge lit a Shamash candle on a menorah as they led the group in Hebrew songs and called for peace.
The group is seen lined up Thursday as they blocked I-76 at the Schuylkill Expressway in Center City
Another protest took place on the streets of Washington DC on Thursday when they blocked New York Avenue
The demonstrators in Washington blocked cars on the road
In what appears to be a continuing trend of protests on the streets in major cities, another took place in Washington, DC, when they blocked New York Avenue.
The group reportedly closed eight bridges to symbolize the eighth night of Hanukkah, Jewish Voice of Peace reported.
Protesters raised signs reading “Cease fire now” and “Stop the genocide in Gaza.”
A similar demonstration took place in Los Angeles during the morning rush hour on Wednesday, bringing traffic to a standstill.
Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters sat in a line stretching south on the 110 Freeway.
The protest was organized by a group called IFNOTDOWN, which characterizes itself as “a movement of American Jews supporting the end of US support for Israel's war on Gaza.”
The protest began around 9 a.m., with photos and videos capturing demonstrators linking arms in the southbound lanes of the 110 Freeway while chanting, “Down with the occupation.”
The California Highway Patrol responded to the scene around 10 a.m. and asked people to leave.
More officers were called in shortly after the protest was called “an unlawful assembly” by authorities as they began tying demonstrators' hands with zip ties.
A busy freeway in downtown Los Angeles was closed during rush hour on Wednesday as crowds of protesters demanded a ceasefire in Gaza
Cars are stuck on busy I-110 Wednesday as anti-Israel protests bring rush hour to its knees
Protesters calling for an end to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, bringing traffic to a standstill on Interstate 110 Wednesday morning
Officers can be heard saying, “If you do not leave this area, you will be physically arrested and detained.”
Some protesters were taken into custody and placed in CHP cruisers parked on the highway.
Most of the protesters had been cleared by 10:30 a.m. and officers opened the three left lanes on the highway, NBC Los Angeles reported.
CHP later confirmed that a total of 75 people involved in the protest had been arrested.