Activists protesting Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip converged on the Port of Oakland on Sunday afternoon in an effort to block the unloading of an Israeli cargo ship, the second such action in two days, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
The activists formed pickets at several Port gates to prevent workers from unloading the Piraeus, a vessel from Zim Integrated Shipping Services, Israel's largest shipping firm. The ship docked at 5 p.m. at the port's Oakland International Container Terminal, and protesters communicating via Twitter said port employees were honoring their picket lines.
"It's my understanding that labor did not report to work for the 7 p.m. shift at the Oakland International Terminal," port spokeswoman Marilyn Sandifur said Sunday evening. "All other port operations are unaffected."
How does the US Anti-Boycott policy mesh with the freedom of speech and peaceful assembly in this case?
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling it would be handled differently if there were identifyable corporations sponsoring this in another country....names would be added to the denied parties list. But what will happen when the protest is in the US?