Barely two days after Iran shot drones and missiles at Israel, one of the country’s biggest backers of Palestinian causes has blocked access to Canada’s largest container port in the Lower Mainland.Meanwhile, police arrested 21 people in Halifax in appeared to be coordinated events across Canada and the US.Protesters said they were working to “send a message to all of Canada” about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas by shutting down the Delta Port.According to organizers, more than 100 workers and community members took part of coordinated action across the globe. The port is described by Global Container Terminals as “Canada’s flagship container terminal” and the “Gateway to the Pacific.”The protest is aimed at “disrupting governments and economies that continue to aid and abet Israel’s vicious and inhumane assault on Gaza.”.It’s all part of protests alongside 56 cities around the world On ‘A15’ — April 15 — which is the tax deadline in the US.Protesters say they are stopping trucks from entering Deltaport. It’s unclear how long the port will be closed.The “People’s Picket for Palestine” comes 192 days after Hamas’ attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians.In the months since October 7 2023, more than 33,700 Palestinians have been killed.Protesters likened what’s happening in the Middle East to what Canada has done to indigenous peoples.“How can we explain to youth that Canada is enabling Israel to carry out that same violent and colonial process against the Palestinian people of Gaza? Israel is making the conditions in Gaza unbearable and unliveable —and they are able to do this because countries like Canada support, fund, and arm this violence,” said activist and teacher Maryam Adrangi.“I would say at the moment there has been some port security and there’s some police on site, but I would say there have been a number of trucks that have left honking and demonstrating their support for Palestine." "Over the last six months, I think people have really seen that what Israel has been doing is not okay, it’s a genocide, they are showing a disproportionate amount of aggression toward innocent civilians and Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank.”GCT Deltaport is considered Canada’s flagship container terminal and the first semi-automated facility in the country. As the Gateway to the Pacific, the 85-hectare (210 acre) state-of-the-art terminal is located in the outer harbour at Roberts Bank adjacent to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal outside of Vancouver. According to its website: “The facility’s fleet of electric, high-speed, super post-Panamax cranes serve the largest transpacific container vessels called the tradelane, boasting seamless ship-to-rail productivity.”In other news, protesters brought barrels filled with concrete onto the highway and chained themselves to the barrels on the Golden Gate Bridge. Law enforcement had to cut through the barrels before they could arrest the protesters.It’s all part of protests alongside 56 cities around the world.Organizers say these protests are a part of A15, a worldwide economic blockade in solidarity with Palestine and calling for an arms embargo and an end to US taxpayer funding for Israel. Monday is the tax deadline for most Americans.Protests have blocked traffic in other major cities Monday morning, including Chicago at O'Hare Airport..Police forces across the country appear to be taking a harder line on pro-Palestinian demonstrations after 21 people were arrested at a protest in Halifax.Protesters could be seen lining a portion of the intersection and sitting in a circle in a crosswalk during early morning rush hour. Police moved in after they refused to leave.According to a release they also face charges of obstruction and some will have additional charges of failing to use a sidewalk and failing to obey the direction of a peace officer."We remind the public that while we respect the right to peacefully protest, enforcement actions will be taken as necessary to ensure public safety," they said.
Barely two days after Iran shot drones and missiles at Israel, one of the country’s biggest backers of Palestinian causes has blocked access to Canada’s largest container port in the Lower Mainland.Meanwhile, police arrested 21 people in Halifax in appeared to be coordinated events across Canada and the US.Protesters said they were working to “send a message to all of Canada” about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas by shutting down the Delta Port.According to organizers, more than 100 workers and community members took part of coordinated action across the globe. The port is described by Global Container Terminals as “Canada’s flagship container terminal” and the “Gateway to the Pacific.”The protest is aimed at “disrupting governments and economies that continue to aid and abet Israel’s vicious and inhumane assault on Gaza.”.It’s all part of protests alongside 56 cities around the world On ‘A15’ — April 15 — which is the tax deadline in the US.Protesters say they are stopping trucks from entering Deltaport. It’s unclear how long the port will be closed.The “People’s Picket for Palestine” comes 192 days after Hamas’ attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians.In the months since October 7 2023, more than 33,700 Palestinians have been killed.Protesters likened what’s happening in the Middle East to what Canada has done to indigenous peoples.“How can we explain to youth that Canada is enabling Israel to carry out that same violent and colonial process against the Palestinian people of Gaza? Israel is making the conditions in Gaza unbearable and unliveable —and they are able to do this because countries like Canada support, fund, and arm this violence,” said activist and teacher Maryam Adrangi.“I would say at the moment there has been some port security and there’s some police on site, but I would say there have been a number of trucks that have left honking and demonstrating their support for Palestine." "Over the last six months, I think people have really seen that what Israel has been doing is not okay, it’s a genocide, they are showing a disproportionate amount of aggression toward innocent civilians and Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank.”GCT Deltaport is considered Canada’s flagship container terminal and the first semi-automated facility in the country. As the Gateway to the Pacific, the 85-hectare (210 acre) state-of-the-art terminal is located in the outer harbour at Roberts Bank adjacent to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal outside of Vancouver. According to its website: “The facility’s fleet of electric, high-speed, super post-Panamax cranes serve the largest transpacific container vessels called the tradelane, boasting seamless ship-to-rail productivity.”In other news, protesters brought barrels filled with concrete onto the highway and chained themselves to the barrels on the Golden Gate Bridge. Law enforcement had to cut through the barrels before they could arrest the protesters.It’s all part of protests alongside 56 cities around the world.Organizers say these protests are a part of A15, a worldwide economic blockade in solidarity with Palestine and calling for an arms embargo and an end to US taxpayer funding for Israel. Monday is the tax deadline for most Americans.Protests have blocked traffic in other major cities Monday morning, including Chicago at O'Hare Airport..Police forces across the country appear to be taking a harder line on pro-Palestinian demonstrations after 21 people were arrested at a protest in Halifax.Protesters could be seen lining a portion of the intersection and sitting in a circle in a crosswalk during early morning rush hour. Police moved in after they refused to leave.According to a release they also face charges of obstruction and some will have additional charges of failing to use a sidewalk and failing to obey the direction of a peace officer."We remind the public that while we respect the right to peacefully protest, enforcement actions will be taken as necessary to ensure public safety," they said.
