Protesters calling for cease-fire in Gaza arrested after briefly blocking traffic near LAX

Thirty-six people were arrested on suspicion of rioting outside Los Angeles International Airport, according to police, after the group briefly blocked traffic and called for a cease-fire in Gaza as the civilian death toll continues to rise amid the Israeli government’s intensive bombing campaigns.

The Los Angeles Police Department said the protest was “not a peaceful demonstration” and accused a protester of throwing an officer to the ground during a skirmish as the group blocked traffic on West Century Boulevard shortly before 9:30 a.m. The protesters also built a makeshift roadblock with nearby construction materials, road signs and palm fronds, according to photos from the scene and a statement from the LAPD. The group also attacked “uninvolved passerbys in their vehicles,” the department said.

“The LAPD’s objective is to ensure public safety for ALL, while facilitating the First Amendment rights of those peacefully demonstrating. However, this was not a peaceful demonstration,” the statement posted to the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, said. “This unlawful behavior is dangerous and will not be tolerated.”

Those arrested were booked on suspicion of rioting, and at least one person was arrested on suspicion of battery on a police officer, the LAPD said.

Videos and photos shared on social media showed the protesters gathering on West Century Boulevard. The road leading into LAX was cleared within an hour, the LAPD said.

A portion of West Century Blvd. is shutdown after protesters were arrested for trying to block traffic into LAX.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Elsewhere across the country, a group of protesters was arrested around the same time for blocking traffic at New York’s JFK Airport, according to social media posts.

California

Protesters block traffic near LAX to demand Gaza Strip cease-fire

Protesters demanding a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip gathered near Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, days after another demonstration shut down the 110 Freeway.

Dec. 15, 2023

On Dec. 15, hundreds of demonstrators gathered at South Sepulveda Boulevard and 92nd Street, just north of the airport entrance, and marched toward LAX, where they blocked traffic for hours. The group shut down all lanes and a bridge leading to the airport for a few hours.

Two days before that, a group of protesters shut down traffic on the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles during rush-hour traffic. That protest escalated into violence as motorists tried to physically remove protesters from the freeway.

It has been more than two months since the Oct. 7 attack against Israel, when Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages. Since then, more than 21,000 Palestinian people have been killed in counter-attacks by Israeli forces, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, as protests across the globe have called for a cease-fire.