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| Protesters prevent unloading of Israeli ship |
| 2010-06-20 |
| (06-20) 12:35 PDT OAKLAND -- Hundreds of demonstrators, gathering at the Port of Oakland before dawn, prevented the unloading of an Israeli cargo ship. The demonstrators, demanding an end to Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, picketed at Berth 58, where a ship from Israel's Zim shipping line is scheduled to dock later today. The day shift of longshoremen agreed not to cross the picket line. International pressure to end the Gaza closure has increased since Israeli commandos stormed a flotilla of ships attempting to run the blockade on May 31, killing nine people. Last week, Israeli officials announced that they would loosen but not lift the blockade, allowing more goods to enter the impoverished area. "Our view is that the state of Israel can not engage in acts of piracy and kill people on the high seas and still think their cargo can go anywhere in the world," said Richard Becker, an organizer with ANSWER, one of many peace and labor groups involved in Sunday's action. Becker estimated that 600 to 700 people joined the demonstration, many of them arriving at 5:30 a.m. Oakland police, who estimated the crowd at 500 people, reported no arrests. The demonstrators want to block the unloading of the Zim ship for a full day. After convincing the day shift of longshoreman to honor the picket line, the demonstrators dispersed around 10 a.m., Becker said. The ship is scheduled to arrive in mid-afternoon, and the demonstrators plan to gather again around 4:30 p.m. and re-establish their picket line before the evening shift of longshoremen arrives at 6 p.m. |
| Posted by:Penguin |
| #4 Well for one crosspatch - the residents of Oakland are overwhelmingly Democratic - so their definition of 'Racism' has nothing to do with actual 'Race'. And Hamas is much like the old 'KKK' (who's members were mostly Democrats). I guess you might say the democrats yearn of the 'Grand Old Days' of the old south. Jim Crow Laws (also a Democratic creation), segregation, and some good ole hatred (and even Lynching) of one race or another. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2010-06-20 23:46 |
| #3 What I can't figure out is how people in Oakland can support an organization (Hamas) that is based solely on racism. Hamas in Gaza is like the KKK taking over a small portion of Alabama and vowing to not rest until only whites remain in the rest of the state. Ask some simple questions: How many mosques in Israel? How many synagogues in Gaza? How many Muslims live and work in Israel? How many Jews live and work in Gaza? |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2010-06-20 23:22 |
| #2 The old-fashioned Marxist-Leninists of International A.N.S.W.E.R. are long-time supporters of Hamas and Hizb'allah according to Wikipedia, so this action should not be a surprise. But really, a few hundred demonstrators, when they used to be involved in the anti-invasion marches in 2002-2003 that contained more than a million? That's pretty pathetic. On the other hand, they were kicked out from the anti-war planning group because of their attitude and behaviour, so perhaps this is all that remains. No doubt they'll look pretty silly when it's revealed how many other Israeli cargoes have been unloaded in June that they were unaware of. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-06-20 22:24 |
| #1 What a bunch of idiots. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2010-06-20 21:29 |