Approximately 100 protesters descended upon the Port of Tacoma, Washington on Monday with the intent of obstructing the loading of cargo onto the Cape Orlando, a ship suspected of carrying potential weapons to Israel, chanting “Free, free Palestine!”.
“We are here today because we are blocking a military vessel that has come from the Oakland dock up to Tacoma,” stated Bissan Barghouti of the Samidoun Seattle group, as reported by The Seattle Times.
A heavy police presence was reported, with the U.S. Coast Guard making preparations for the protest. Some sources suggested that the port authorities aimed to have the ship set sail by 12 p.m., while activists remained determined to impede its departure. Requests for comments from Port of Tacoma officials went unanswered.
The protest persisted throughout the day, with some activists seemingly taking to canoes in an effort to hinder the Cape Orlando’s progress.
In Barcelona, dockworkers also made a statement on Monday by calling for a cease-fire in Israel and Palestine, declaring their refusal to work on vessels transporting weapons. Spanish publication El Diario reported that “Workers have committed to not load, unload, or facilitate the tasks of any boat containing weapons”.
The decision on Monday is mostly symbolic and seeks to encourage other Spanish ports to follow suit, the secretary of the OEPB union, Josep Maria Deop, told Reuters on Tuesday.
Deop said organisations promoting peace could help the union figure out which containers contain military equipment. He said he was convinced there were military shipments from Barcelona because “it’s a port that moves all types of goods”.
This announcement in Barcelona followed a recent call by transport unions in Belgium, which included some port workers, urging their members to abstain from handling military equipment destined for Israel, according to Reuters.
The movement to obstruct the Cape Orlando, a military ship with a lengthy wartime history, began at the Port of Oakland on Friday.
A multitude of protesters, organised by the Arab Resource and Organising Center (AROC) in the Bay Area, assembled at the docks early that morning carrying megaphones, banners, and Palestinian flags.
Acting on information that the ship was possibly headed to Israel, the protestors aimed not to allow Cape Orlando to depart.
Israel has been targeting Hamas military operations in Gaza in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas Islamists on Israeli towns that left 1,400 people dead and 240 abducted. The retaliatory attacks by Israel have killed over 10,000 people, health officials in Gaza say.
Spain exported military equipment worth 1.3 billion euros ($1.39 billion) in the first half of 2022, with shipments to Israel amounting to 9 million euros, according to the latest available official data.
Spain does not plan to export any lethal military equipment to be used in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, state news agency EFE cited government sources as saying last week.
The OEPB said it opposed all types of violence wherever it happens, including in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and that its boycott seeks to protect civilians anywhere.
“No cause justifies sacrificing civilians,” it said.
Barcelona’s dock workers adopted a similar boycott in 2011 due to the conflict in Libya. They also took part in humanitarian aid shipment projects for Western Sahara and Nicaragua in recent decades.
(With information from Reuters)