Screenshot of a video shared on X
Seattle: Protesters calling for a cease-fire in Gaza blocked northbound traffic on Interstate 5 in Seattle for several hours Saturday.
The state transportation department said on the social media platform X that traffic at one point was backed up more than 6 miles (9.7 kilometers), and the agency asked drivers to use alternate routes.
Demonstrators chanted "Free, free Palestine” and "Hey hey, ho ho, the occupation has got to go.”
BREAKING: Huge crowd gathers to support protesters who have taken over the I5 highway in Seattle to demand a ceasefire now to end the U.S.-Israeli genocide in Gaza!#ShutItDown4Palestine pic.twitter.com/LhCPDPfDaS
— Party for Socialism and Liberation (@pslnational) January 6, 2024
Seattle police posted on social media at 3:40pm that officers gave a dispersal order, though protesters disputed receiving any such orders. Stormy weather, including hail, moved through the area, and protesters left the freeway around 4:45 pm, according to the Times.
Trooper Rick Johnson with the Washington State Patrol said via X that while people had abandoned the freeway, 12 vehicles were left behind. He said the roadway would reopen when they were towed.
