Pro-Palestinian Arab protesters briefly shut down the 405 Freeway in West Los Angeles on Tuesday morning during rush hour, reported the Los Angeles Times.
The group sat in lanes and blocked traffic shortly after 9:00 a.m. and brought traffic to a standstill on the southbound side of the freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol’s traffic log.
The protesters were calling for the US to end its support of Israel. The group was cleared shortly before 9:30 a.m. and the freeway was reopened after several vehicles abandoned by the protesters were removed, said California Highway Patrol Officer Isabel Diaz.
Traffic was impacted for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Nine people were arrested for unlawful assembly and failure to disperse, the CHP said.
The protesters were organized in part by the group IfNotNow Los Angeles, a national organization of American Jews who advocate for “the end of the US support of Israel’s apartheid system,” according to its mission statement.
Anti-Israel protests have been recorded across the US since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
In June, a demonstration against the war in Gaza spiraled into violence outside a Los Angeles synagogue.
The incident occurred when anti-Israel protesters gathered outside the Adas Torah Synagogue in the Pico-Robertson section of Los Angeles where an Israel real-estate fair was taking place.
The protesters surrounded the synagogue and prevented Jews from entering. Law enforcement arrested one individual who is facing a misdemeanor charge for allegedly carrying “a spiked flag” which is illegal to carry at a protest.
Last November, an anti-Israel protester caused the death of Paul Kessler, a Jewish man, by striking him in the head with a megaphone. In May, a judge ruled that the protester will stand trial.