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

OAKLAND, Calif. - ‘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 right at the peak of the morning commute.

Traffic was snarled for hours 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. Seven people were arrested.

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. Officers had to use jackhammers to break those heavy chains.

After the protesters were freed from the chains, they were placed under arrest. In total, 26 people on the bridge were taken into custody.

Chief Don Goodbrand, of the CHP Golden Gate Division, said around 300 protesters walked on I-880 southbound at 7th Street. Five people were arrested at that location.

The protesters, who were still in custody late in the evening at San Francisco County Jail, face a slew of charges including; false imprisonment, unlawful assembly, conspiracy to commit a crime, and unlawful stop on a bridge. It is unclear what charges the San Francisco district attorney may file. A spokesperson for D.A. Brooke Jenkins' office said the D.A. still has to review the information. CHP said two of the charges the protesters were arrested for are felonies. 

"You can protest any which way you want, but it is unlawful to block the roadway and prevent people from getting to work and emergency personnel from helping people," said Chief Goodbrand. 

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

CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said officers had 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.

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."

Chief Goodbrand empathized with drivers.

"It's frustrating. I don't think anybody wants to sit on the bridge for three to four hours, he said."

Another commuter said protesters stopping traffic could alienate even those sympathetic to their cause. 

"The protest won't help any child in Gaza, you know, or any sympathy, and it's a complicated situation. I know that," said Pat Ackerman. "But, you hold up people who are generally trying to get to work, it doesn't help anybody." 

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 planned to create these blockades. 

"It's a coordinated global effort. We are saying that enough of our tax dollars from the United States – the largest ally to Israel – we don't want our money to go to Israel any more," said protester Riley Hewco. 

An activist, who is a spokesperson for the Golden Gate Bridge demonstrators, said none of those arrested have been released. "The fact that they're being held overnight is kind of concerning and we're just waiting to hear what might happen,' said Ellen Caminiti. "I'm hoping they get released soon." 

She also said that the inconvenience that commuters experienced was minor by comparison to what is being experienced on a daily basis in Gaza. "It is a privilege to experience that minor of an inconvenience compared to what Palestinians experience every day."

Law enforcement said they were tracking chatter that something could happen on April 15. 

"There was a decent amount of intelligence about this day, but these specific protests…no. We did not have specific intelligence related to them," said Chief Goodbrand. 

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 CHP.

KTVU's Christien Kafton, Tom Vacar and Amber Lee contributed to this report.