Pro-Palestinian protesters brought traffic on the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles to a halt for almost two hours Wednesday morning, FOX11 Los Angeles reported.
The protest began around 9:00 a.m. in the southbound lanes, FOX11 reported. Around 10:00 a.m., California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers declared an unlawful assembly and arrived on the scene to begin taking people into custody for the roadblock, according to the outlet.
The protesters then linked arms and caused the traffic backups to extend to nearby streets, a report from NBC4 noted. Police reportedly removed most of the protestors by 10:30 a.m., although several of the cars in the standstill had stalled and tow trucks were called in to remove them, per the outlet. (RELATED: HIGH SCHOOLERS RIOT OVER TEACHER WHO ATTENDED PRO-ISRAEL RALLY)
Protesters from “IfNotNow Los Angeles,” the group behind the protest, sat on the freeway next to a seven-foot-tall menorah, according to FOX11. Protesters reportedly staged the downtown protest “to demand that all of our elected officials call for a lasting ceasefire and an end to U.S. support for Israel’s war on Gaza.”
“IfNotNow” had not announced plans to shut down the freeway beforehand, FOX11 reported.
“We will continue to protest until the killing and mass displacement stop, all the hostages are home, and safety is guaranteed for civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law,” IfNotNow said, according to the outlet.
The CHP said at least 75 people were detained, according to NBC4.