A video of one of the pro-Palestinian protesters who shut down the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and I-880 in Oakland on Monday is going viral.
A clip shared by the official X account of the California Highway Patrol showed one agitator screaming in apparent pain as officers cut a piece of concrete reinforcement he had held onto in order to make his removal more difficult.
The video shows the CHP officers ordering the man to simply let go of the rebar, which he refused to do.
It was not immediately clear if the man was on the Golden Gate Bridge or was part of a blockage of the Bay Area’s Interstate 880.
“Let go of the rebar,” one officer off-camera told the man.
Another officer pleaded repeatedly for the man to simply “let go” as he screamed in agony.
“Ohh! Ahh,” the man shouted. “They’re twisting [my hand] for no reason. … Stop! …. Stop squeezing my hand and twisting it!”
While refusing to let go of the metal, the protester shouted, “You’re hurting me!”
Tactics utilized by unlawful protesters this morning on I-880 and the Golden Gate Bridge. This is unlawful and will not be tolerated. Arrests were made and the CHP is recommending charges. Thank you to our law enforcement partners for their assistance. pic.twitter.com/Nn4fdqD08m
— CHP Headquarters (@CHP_HQ) April 16, 2024
The man was asked if he needed medical assistance after he was handcuffed.
CHP officials said of the incidents on the roadways and the Golden Gate Bridge closure, “This is unlawful and will not be tolerated. Arrests were made and the CHP is recommending charges.”
The agency also made it clear in a statement posted on Facebook that officers made every effort to clear the protesters and free traffic as quickly as possible.
The man was one of around 40 anti-Israel protesters who were arrested after they shut down the iconic bridge and highway, KNTV reported. Twenty-six people were detained for their actions on the bridge.
Per KTVU, the protesters used a technique called “the sleeping dragon.”
On the bridge, “protesters used their cars, with chains concealed with pipes, to connect themselves to each other,” which took police over four hours to clear. While on the I-880, some of the protesters attached themselves to large barrels filled with concrete, which took seven hours to clear.
KNTV spoke to a number of the protesters who said they shut down the highway and bridge in order to compel the federal government to stop offering military aid to Israel.
Should people who block roads face significant legal punishment?
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Those behind the blockages are facing conspiracy charges.
Some of the protesters will also be charged with false imprisonment for trapping commuters on the bridge from about 7:30 a.m. local time until well into the afternoon.
Their actions occurred just two days after Iran launched hundreds of missiles and suicide drones at the Jewish state on Saturday.
Israel has been fighting the Islamic terror group Hamas in an all-out war since last October when militants based in Gaza murdered at least 1,200 of its citizens and took over 200 hostages.
