Gridlock in Belfast as Palestine protestors shut down primary motorway junction

Belfast Palestine supporters’ response to so-called Israel’s criminal hijacking of the Global Sumud Flotilla has been immediate, with rush hour traffic grinding to a standstill following occupation of a major crossroads near the city centre.

The group of around 30 activists shut down the York Street area which also connects to the Westlink, causing major delays to traffic.  Footage on the BDS Belfast Instagram page shows 100s of cars frozen as protestors can be heard chanting “Stop the bombing now now now!”:

 

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There were instances of drivers ramming protestors, while shouting in support of the Zionist entity, though no injuries were reported.  Those on the road made provisions for ensuring that emergency vehicles were permitted to pass.

Asked for comment, BDS Belfast stated that they were not the organisers, and that the direct action had been a collaboration between Palestine solidarity activists across the city.  In a statement, they said:

Today, BDS Belfast activists took up the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement’s call for “peaceful disruptive action now” in response to so-called Israel’s illegal hijacking of the Global Sumud Flotilla, and their ongoing genocide in Gaza. In collaboration with fellow activists from the Belfast area, we attended a direct action blocking traffic at the junction of York Street and the A12.

The group went on to highlight the abduction of Belfast-based activist Tom McCune, now at risk of torture in Israeli jail.  The statement urged:

…everyone across this island to get involved in a sustained campaign of civil disobedience and disruption, exemplified by those in Italy who have brought that nation to a standstill.

After around 40 minutes, the blockade dispersed, though reports from people around the city indicated the protest caused sustained disruption to traffic flow.  No arrests were made at the scene.

Israeli Genocide Forces storm aid boats

The illegal flotilla interception on Wednesday by the Israeli Genocide Forces (IGF) in international waters has resulted in an estimated 443 activists being abducted. Fears will grow for those being held, as the Netanyahu regime has sought to characterise the flotilla as a Hamas initiative.  Liberal use of the term applied to anyone the IGF bomb in Gaza has led to almost 700,000 Palestinians – mainly children – being murdered.

The flotilla contained 44 boats, with a total of roughly 500 activists aboard.  Previous terrorist acts from the illegal settler-colonial regime had included dropping fire bombs and chemicals from drones on to the humanitarian vessels.  That didn’t work, and now Zionist naval forces have intervened directly, with shocking footage showing heavily armed IGF troops boarding, with weapons drawn, the boats carrying stocks of food and medicine.  Italy, Spain and Turkey had sent naval vessels to assist the flotilla, but turned away when the group of aid ships neared the high-risk zone approaching the Gaza coastline.

That dereliction of duty by state functionaries is perhaps symbolic.  The flotilla was a powerful symbol of civil society taking over where governments have failed to act, and that spirit continued across the world.  In Ireland, Belfast wasn’t the only place taking action in response to this latest instance of Zionist criminality, as activists in Dublin have blocked the main port there.  Protests have erupted elsewhere, with multiple cities in Italy flooded by protestors.  The Guardian reported that:

Hundreds of people gathered in front of Termini station in Rome, chanting: “Let’s block everything.” This led authorities to limit access and close some metro stops. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched in Milan, Turin and Genoa, while protesters in Naples and Pisa briefly occupied station platforms and blocked trains. Thousands also gathered in Bologna carrying banners and flags.

Global protests show Zionist isolation

A general strike has been called for Friday October 3, with the country’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni smearing the move as an excuse for a long weekend, saying:

I would have expected that at least on such an important issue they would not have called a general strike on a Friday, because a long weekend and revolution don’t go together.

Protestors blocked streets in Madrid, and demonstrations were also staged in other major cities such as Buenos Aires, London, Berlin and Brussels.

Amnesty International spoke out against the flotilla attack saying:

Israel’s forceful interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels and detention of its crew off the coast of Gaza is a brazen assault against solidarity activists carrying out an entirely peaceful humanitarian mission. This seizure comes after weeks of threats and incitement by Israeli officials against the flotilla and its participants and after several attempts to sabotage some of its ships.

The unlawful Zionist entity may come to rue its latest crime, however, as a regalvanised solidarity movement will now bring increased pressure on complicit governments to finally take meaningful steps to ostracise the terrorist regime.