Hundreds of protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza shut down the westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge Thursday morning, just east of Treasure Island, causing a traffic jam and delays, California Highway Patrol said.
CHP said the demonstration unfolded shortly before 8 a.m. and that there was no estimated time of reopening. CHP Chief Ezery Beauchamp told reporters at a news conference at about 9:45 a.m. that the agency hopes to reopen one lane in about 30 minutes.
Approximately 50 people were arrested and 15 vehicles have been towed, authorities said. Beauchamp said some people abandoned their cars and tossed their keys off the bridge.
Live video from KTVU and NBC Bay Area showed officers detaining about a dozen protesters with zip ties and towing them away in sheriff’s buses. The protest and arrests appeared to be peaceful. Several protesters chained their arms together inside of tubes to make removing them more difficult.
Prior to the arrests, videos posted to social media showed demonstrators rallying with bullhorns, chanting slogans and waving large signs reading “stop genocide” and “no U.S. military aid to Israel,” facing a line of officers dressed in riot gear. Some protesters were lying down on the bridge, covered in white sheets, pretending to be dead. Pro-Palestine protesters claimed responsibility for the shutdown in a post on Instagram, saying they were sending a message to President Joe Biden to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
The protest led to transit delays and bumper-to-bumper traffic for nearly two hours. The Transbay bus line was detoured to the West Oakland BART station, AC Transit said.
Mayor London Breed tweeted that her office was in contact with CHP and the California Department of Transportation, “who are working to remove the protestors that are blocking traffic.”
Commuters trapped in traffic expressed their frustration on X, formerly called Twitter.
“Was hoping to make our flight at SFO but looks doubtful now,” Jason Swartz wrote.
Mudit Goyal wrote on X that he was “missing the most important” doctor appointment because of the protests blocking the bridge. “Don’t terrorize the whole public. Go make noise near Moscone instead,” Goyal tweeted.
Moscone has been the site of several protests since the start of the APEC summit, and it’s where President Joe Biden was expected to give a speech Thursday morning.
Protesters tangled the streets around the conference center on Wednesday to voice opposition to the ongoing Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference being held at the heavily barricaded Moscone Center. Tensions mounted as demonstrators confronted police, blocked APEC attendees from passing and chanted slogans about political causes that included climate change, economic inequality and Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
Later on Wednesday, supporters of Chinese President Xi Jinping clashed with a group of pro-Tibet protesters outside the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, where Xi was set to appear following his meeting with Biden at the at the Filoli estate in San Mateo County.
The meeting of Biden and Xi spawned smaller protests throughout the city and set picketers streaming down Market Street, where traffic was halted several times Wednesday due to demonstrators’ activities.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates at sfchronicle.com
Michael Cabanatuan contributed to this report.
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