Dozens of police officers conducted car-by-car searches, searching for and arresting anti-Israel protesters, as US authorities reopened the vital Bay Bridge that leads to San Francisco, the city hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. .

Protesters who blocked this vital thoroughfare were calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, holding placards with slogans such as “Stop the genocide” and “No US military aid to Israel”.

Police arrested “dozens” of protesters, one of the groups organizing the rally said in an email to Reuters. Even after their arrest, protesters continued to chant “Free Palestine” and “Palestine will be free.”

The California Highway Patrol had earlier ordered the crowd to disperse. Authorities sent cranes to the bridge to lift cars used by protesters to block traffic when the protest began during the morning rush hour.

After traffic resumed in at least one lane, officers stopped a Honda car and arrested the occupants. Among them was one who was in the trunk and was allegedly participating in the demonstration.

Two of those arrested said they had nothing to do with the protests. Stanford University professor Lorraine Tomkins told Reuters she was on her way to work but was complying with law enforcement’s orders when she was arrested in her vehicle.

Earlier, around 200 protesters had gathered on the bridge. Several organizations participated in the mobilization, including the Palestinian Youth Movement and Palestine Solidarity of the San Francisco Bay Area. Before the police intervened some were chained to cars on which they had posted signs with slogans such as “Free Palestine”. Many lay on the pavement, covered with white sheets.

Traffic started to clear around 10:45 local time (20:45 Greek time).

The Bay Bridge is one of San Francisco’s most important thoroughfares and tens of thousands of vehicles cross it every day.