[Update:] On the fifth day that autonomously- organized protesters returned to picket, the Zim ship finally sailed out to Tacoma. Despite some official reports, only a tiny portion of the shipment intended for Oakland ports was unloaded (This was witnessed by dockworkers, a Ports of America worker, a port trucker, vigilant protesters on the ground and our own contributor here at Bay Area Intifada).
For the third consecutive day, an Israeli ship, the Zim Pireaus, has been blockaded by Bay Area protesters in solidarity with Gaza. In the wee hours of Monday morning, with very little mobilization, a dozen or so people held a picket. With the support of longshore workers, the ship–which had already been delayed for two days at the Port of Oakland–sat unloaded. [Read details, watch videos and see photos from Saturday and Sunday blockades here.]
In the evening, enough people came through to create pickets. Though police officers pushed a pathway through protesters, longshore workers again refused to cross the pickets. It is yet to be determined how much the blockade has cost Israel.
Adam and Ankash were part of the bike block and had been riding to the port the last three days. They spoke with us on the blockade, Gaza and colonization. Continue reading