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Protest to stop military cargo shipments to Israel
Dozens of protesters gathered near the Port of Oakland on Thursday to demand an end to arms shipments to Israel.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Dozens of protesters gathered at the Port of Oakland on Thursday to demand an end to alleged arms shipments to Israel.
During a public meeting of the port commission, the demonstrators chanted and waved signs in front of the port building at 530 Water St.
The group alleged that shipments to Israel have departed from the Port of Oakland regularly in the past year, and that the port authority has the power to end the shipments.
"We’re asking you to take the same action that this commission took in the 1980s for South Africa," said Fossil Free California board member Cynthia Kaufman, referencing when Bay Area dockworkers boycotted shipments from the country as a stance against apartheid.
"Please step up and use the power you have to stop these deadly arms from going through our port," Kaufman said.
The port authority maintains that it is not allowed to stop specific shipments, and if they did so, they would be in violation of federal law and subject to litigation.