Hundreds of Jewish people heading to a pro-Israel rally in Washington, DC, were left stranded at an airport after bus drivers staged a “deliberate and malicious strike” and refused to take them to the massive rally.
Protesters had to wait more than three hours at Dulles Airport after their transportation didn’t show up, the Jewish Federation of Detroit said.
The organization chartered three flights from Motor City to bring about 900 Israeli supporters to Tuesday’s rally.
But the drivers’ counter-protest meant only a handful made it to the march, after many buses failed to arrive at the scheduled 10.30am pick-up time.
A “significant” number of people did not make it to the march in the capital, said David Kurzmann, senior director of community affairs at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Detroit News.
Hundreds of Jewish activists were prevented from attending a pro-Israel rally in Washington DC after buses scheduled to transport them from Dulles Airport to the march failed to show up.
The transport never arrived due to a “deliberate and malicious” strike by bus drivers, according to the Jewish Federation of Detroit
“We have been informed by the bus company that this was caused by the deliberate and malicious running away of drivers,” he said.
‘Fortunately many were able to travel to the march, and we are grateful to the drivers of the buses who arrived.
“While we are deeply appalled by this shameful action, our resolve to proudly stand in solidarity with the people of Israel, condemn anti-Semitism and demand the return of every hostage held by Hamas has never been greater.”
One man who could not attend the demonstration called the action ‘against our democracy’.
‘The freedom to assemble is a constitutionally protected right. Anti-Semitism is alive and well,” he said.
‘We never made it to the rally, we never made it past the asphalt. I guess that’s how it works if you want to attend a peaceful protest.”
He also cited other alleged examples of other people being denied access to the meeting.
“This is not an isolated event,” he added. “Flights from many other cities were canceled or did not leave the tarmac due to similar anti-Semitic corruption.”
Activists had to wait hours before being told to reboard their planes and return to Detroit, causing many to miss the rally.
The group had flown from Detroit on three planes chartered by the Jewish Federation of Detroit, carrying about 900 people
The activists were heading to a pro-Israel rally in Washington DC, where more than 200,000 supporters packed the National Mall.
The group had hoped to travel to the National Mall to join calls for the release of Israeli hostages captured by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attacks that killed 1,400 people.
The march was also a response to major protests around the world denouncing Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in the following days, which officials in the country said killed more than 11,000 people.
The rally in DC saw more than 200,000 pro-Israel supporters gather in solidarity with the country.
State Senator Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) was also among those denied the opportunity to be part of a “tremendous show of support… for the hostages and a strong rebuke of anti-Semitism.”
The Detroit News reports that the representative had to wait three hours before getting off and loading onto a bus for 30 minutes before being told to get back on the plane.
“I’m still waiting for all the details as to why the bus drivers didn’t show up,” Moss said.
“I have spent my term in the Legislature fighting discrimination in seeking goods or services denied based on identity or belief. There are a lot of questions and we deserve to know the answers.”
After waiting several hours, those who could not reach the limited buses started an impromptu protest of their own on the tarmac.
Ultimately, they were forced to return to their aircraft as chartered flights cannot depart without pre-organized transportation.