Anti-Israel protests block traffic nationwide
Fox News contributor Paul Mauro says protesters are funded by institutions and warns protests will continue throughout the summer on 'America Reports.'
A left-wing dark money group funded by billionaire George Soros will provide bail and legal support for the anti-Israel activists arrested after blocking major roads and highways nationwide this week, according to an online fundraiser.
The traffic-snarling stunts, which took place in several major cities Monday, were said by protesters to be a response to the United States' continued support for Israel during its war with Hamas terrorists.
The demonstrations were largely organized by A15 Action, a recently created group that said it would "coordinate a multi-city economic blockade on April 15 in solidarity with Palestine."
Under the group's "resources" section on its website, users are pointed to a "bail and legal defense fund" hosted by ActBlue, the leading fundraising platform for Democratic campaigns and groups nationwide.
ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS’ ‘UNLAWFUL’ TACTICS WILL ‘NOT BE TOLERATED,’ CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL WARNS
The anti-Israel demonstrations that took place Monday were largely organized by A15 Action, a newly created group that worked to "coordinate a multi-city economic blockade on April 15 in solidarity with Palestine." (Getty Images/KTVU)
The contributions "will benefit Community Justice Exchange," a project of the Soros-funded Tides Center, according to the fundraising page.
"Donate here to support community members who are criminalized in the U.S. for their solidarity with Palestine," a fundraising page, which was first reported by The Washington Free Beacon, states. "Should the actions of the state result in the need for it, these funds will be used for bail, legal defense, and support for defendants."
The Community Justice Exchange has a self-described mission to provide "money bail, court fees and fines" to "community-based organizations across the country that are experimenting with bottom-up interventions that contest the current operation and function of the criminal legal and immigration detention systems."
It was revealed last November that the Soros-backed Open Society Policy Center had given $13.7 million, through the Tides Center, to groups that have reportedly expressed support for Hamas or justified attacks on Israel, with a total of $15 million donated since 2016.
Hundreds of anti-Israel agitators stopped traffic and created havoc, sending Americans scrambling on Monday in major U.S. cities like San Francisco, New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia.
Traffic on both lanes of California's Golden Gate Bridge was shut down Monday, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) told Fox News Digital, as images emerged showing anti-Israel agitators holding banners with messages like "Stop the world for Gaza" and "End the siege on Gaza now!"
CHP said 38 people were arrested for involvement in the Golden Gate Bridge demonstration and later warned that tactics used by the "unlawful" protesters there and along Interstate-880 in Oakland "will not be tolerated."
Traffic is shown stopped on the Golden Gate Bridge due to an anti-Israel protest Monday, April 15, 2024. (KTVU)
Some demonstrators in California attached themselves to 55-gallon drums filled with concrete.
ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS SHUT DOWN TRAFFIC, DISRUPT CITIES ALL ACROSS US IN DEMAND FOR GAZA CEASEFIRE
In New York City, nearly 300 protesters gathered outside the New York Stock Exchange Monday morning.
Protesters were heard chanting "free, free Palestine," "Palestine will never die," "from Wall Street to Palestine … intifada" and "Israel bombs. USA pays. How many kids did you kill today?"
Many of the protesters were also carrying watermelon balloons, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity.
Demonstrators also took to the Brooklyn Bridge, where police quickly intervened in an attempt to prevent the protest from growing in size.
In Chicago, protesters blocked traffic to Chicago O'Hare International Airport, causing delays that lasted several hours after the protest was broken up by police. Chicago Police told Fox News 40 people were arrested and that charges are pending.
Anti-Israel agitators also gathered outside Philadelphia's City Hall, drawing a noticeable police presence. The protesters there blocked the intersection at Market Street and Schuylkill Avenue in Center City.
NBC 10 Philadelphia later reported police "arrested 41 people while Pennsylvania State Police arrested 27 for a total of 68 arrests."
Anti-Israel agitators gathered outside of Philadelphia's City Hall Monday morning, drawing a noticeable police presence. (Fox 29 Philadelphia)
Protesters also flooded downtown Miami and downtown Tampa, calling for a cease-fire in the ongoing war in Gaza.
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In Texas, a group of protesters also demonstrated outside the Valero headquarters in San Antonio to express their opposition to Israeli military action in Gaza.
The protests continued into Monday evening, with pro-Israel agitators taking to Washington's Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, shutting down traffic along the expressway.
Fox News' Stepheny Price and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
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