‘Free Palestine’ protesters block part of I-880 in Oakland, Golden Gate Bridge

Written by Amanda Quintana and KTVU Staff

OAKLAND, Calif. (FOX-35)- ‘Free Palestine’ protesters on Monday blocked several sections of freeway around the Bay Area, including a section of I-880 in Oakland and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Traffic was snarled after the demonstration took over the northbound lanes of Interstate Highway 880 at 5th and Embarcadero in Oakland early in the morning and both directions of the Golden Gate Bridge. The entrance to the Port of Oakland was impeded later in the morning by another pack of demonstrators, who said they came from a group called A15 Action. 

The CHP said the Oakland protest began about 6:30 a.m. and the Golden Gate Bridge protest started an hour after the first 880 takeover. 

The Golden Gate Bridge reopened after noon.

"There’s a genocide going on across the world and people have to be informed about it, whether it’s going to work or on social media," one protester shouted. "People need to stay informed of what’s going on, babies are dying." 

Dozens of CHP officers were seen in riot gear watching as Oakland protesters waved flags near where they had painted the colors of Palestine on the highway's center median.

Officers said that protesters used 55-gallon drums filled with concrete and attached themselves to them with chains, impeding officers' efforts to remove them.

The California Highway Patrol said that these protesters will be arrested once they are removed from the highway.

Similar scenes peppered the Golden Gate Bridge, where protesters demanded an end to the U.S. support of Israel.  

According to the CHP, protesters used parked vehicles to tether themselves to, and refused to clear the lanes. Around 20 people on the bridge were arrested and taken into custody.

There were significant traffic delays for drivers on I-880 in the East Bay and along 101 in Marin County.

CHP Golden Gate Officer Andrew Barclay said officers have to assess each situation to figure out how to handle it. 

"These are incidents that pop up pretty quick," Barclay said.

The CHP was being assisted by San Francisco police and the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, as well.

Barclay said that officers were making arrests, but he wasn't able to immediately provide numbers. 

Video showed officers walking on the highway with people in handcuffs. 

There are specific laws that forbid blocking bridges.

Several people called the KTVU newsroom to complain about the traffic mess, asking if anything could be done to get the protesters out of their way so that they could get to their destinations. 

One man posted on X: "This stuff makes no sense.  Ain't no one paying attention to them and only discourages people from supporting their cause." 

One woman wrote that she knew someone who couldn't get to a relative's funeral and it was "sickening."

Protesters who said they were attempting an economic blockade to demand an end to the war between Israel and Hamas, where thousands of people in Gaza have died since Oct. 7.

The protesters said their goal is to disrupt the global economy. And Oakland is one of 56 cities across the world where groups plan to create these blockades. 

This is a similar protest to when protesters tried to shut down the Port of Oakland in January, which they say is used to ship military equipment to Israel. And there was another protest there last November.

There are three other California cities on the list of cities where a blockade is expected to happen: Long Beach, Orange County and San Diego.

KTVU reached out to Gov. Gavin Newsom's office regarding the Bay Area protests and looming demonstrations in Southern California, his office deferred comment to California Highway Patrol.