All traffic lanes on the Golden Gate Bridge reopened Monday after 26 protesters blocked both directions of Highway 101 for more than four hours, calling for a cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
A California Highway Patrol alert was issued at 8:10 a.m. for Golden Gate Bridge traffic lanes in both directions due to police activity, with drivers advised to avoid the area and seek alternate routes.
CHP Marin said officers started arresting protesters near the bridge at 10:32 a.m.
By 12:08 p.m., all 26 protesters had been arrested, and about 4 vehicles had been towed. All lanes reopened shortly after 12:15 p.m., CHP Officer Darrell Horner said. According to CHP posts Monday, responding officers found "protesters utilized stationary vehicles" using "utilizing "chains concealed with pipes, connecting the drivers and passengers outside the vehicle."
An X post from Golden Gate Transit said buses could not cross the bridge and advised commuters to take the Golden Gate Ferry.
CHP also responded to protesters blocking Interstate 880 lanes earlier Monday in Oakland. Seven protesters were arrested and removed from northbound I-880 lanes near the Embarcadero, while five others were arrested and removed from southbound I-880 lanes at Seventh Street.
In a display similar to the one on Feb. 14, several people locked themselves together in parked cars blocking southbound lanes, displaying banners that said "End the Siege on Gaza Now" and "Stop the World for Gaza."
Activists, who said in a statement that they would stay on the bridge until removed by authorities, described Monday's demonstration as part of a coordinated global economic blockade in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and against the U.S. government's financial and military aid to Israel.
Protests against the conflict and the United States’ support of Israel have been a regular occurrence in San Francisco and around the region. Activists have organized high-profile demonstrations, blocking major bridges and intersections in the city.