Pro-Palestinian activists across the world engaged in protests Monday, seeking to cause economic disruption for their host countries to coerce them into adopting anti-Israel policies.
The protest was primarily focused in the United States, where it was planned to fall on Tax Day, the deadline to file income tax returns.
The A15 organizers were in 29 cities, but autonomous groups planned the event allegedly in over 50 cities.
“A proposal to coordinate a multi-city economic blockade on April 15th in solidarity with Palestine recently received overwhelming commitments to participate around the US and internationally,” said the anonymous A15 website.
“The proposal states that in each city, we will identify and blockade major choke points in the economy, focusing on points of production and circulation with the aim of causing the most economic impact, as did the port shutdowns in recent months in Oakland, California and Melbourne, Australia.”
Protests reported worldwide
In San Francisco, footage published by the Arab Resource and Organising Center showed activists linking arms and raising banners across the Golden Gate Bridge to stop traffic.
“Stop the world for Gaza,” read a large banner stretching across the Californian landmark.
The main coordination account for the blockades said on social media that entry into Chicago's O'Hare airport was disrupted. According to the US Palestinian Community Network, 11 Protesters from the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine were arrested for protesting in the city’s Federal Plaza.
Activists later rallied at the Chicago Police Department to demand the release of the detainees, chanting, “CPD, KKK, IOF [IDF], you’re all the same!”
The Seattle-Tacoma Airport was also blockaded for three hours, according to organizers, leading to around 40 arrests.
In Boston, activists threw fake bloody dollar bills inside Chase Bank branches across the city, according to BDS Boston, because “JP Morgan Chase is one of the top shareholders of Israel’s largest weapons contractor, Elbit Systems.”
In Virginia, Occupation Free DC and other groups blockaded the lobby of the Lockheed Martin office, forming a human chain across the doors. Activists erected a paper mache model of a Palestinian olive tree breaking what was supposed to be a Lockheed Martin jet plane.
In Portland, Oregon, the April 15 organizers said they blocked entrances to an Intel building.
In the UK, Palestine Action painted BNY Mellon’s Manchester office with fake blood and spray painted it with “child killers” and “drop Elbit.” The group also said that it blockaded entry into Kent’s Discovery Park by laying on roads, saying that they were targeting an Elbit factory there.
Another group of activists interrupted a Somerset City Council meeting to read the names of Palestinian children allegedly killed by the IDF during the war with Hamas.
Protesters blocked the entrance of the European Commission Building in Dublin because, according to organizers, “People living in Ireland are disgusted that the EU continues to be the biggest trade partner with Israel.”
In Genoa, Italy, activists reportedly protested at a Carrefour retail location, placing “free Palestine” stickers on products and linking shopping carts with bike locks.
According to Greek pro-Palestinian activist Jodie Jones, Spanish groups blocked ports in Barcelona, Tarragona, and Athens.
In Adelaide, Australia, on April 15, organizers said that protesters demonstrated at Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s office by pouring blood over fake corpses while dressed as the politician. The Disrupt Wars group claimed on Instagram to have been part of 19 different events in Australia, which they said had resulted in thousands of dollars in fines.
According to Fight Together for Justice, protesters closed a Melbourne shopping mall and blocked British Petroleum officers.
A15 Action published footage on Instagram that it said was of a Nigerian pro-Palestinian protest led by the country’s Islamic Movement. They also claimed that a group blockaded the Taiwan-Israel Congressional Association in Taipei. They also published pictures of a sparse Seoul protest in which the activists read poetry in honor of Palestinians.
Amersfoort for Palestine said that they blockade roads in Utrecht, Amsterdam, because checkpoints were the daily reality for Palestinians.