Pro-Hamas protesters block roads at JFK and LAX airports on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

 

Pro-Hamas protesters arrested at LAX. AP/KABC-TV.

Pro-Hamas protesters blocked roads at JFK and LAX airports in New York and Los Angeles on one of the busiest travel days of the year. AP. 62 people were arrested in both incidents. Travelers were forced to walk into the airports or take shuttles to make their flights. In LA, police accused the protesters of attacking both the police and the trapped motorists. The protests were quickly broken up by police. LAX alone had expected 215,000 travelers to travel to and from the airport. 

Port Authority Police arrest pro-Palestinian criminals blocking the street to JFK airport. pic.twitter.com/Zycsz22vAn

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) December 27, 2023

My Comment:

I consider these kinds of "protests" to be an act of violence. These people trapped a bunch of people in their cars and were preventing the movement of people. Under Wisconsin law I believe they would be guilty of false imprisonment, as the people trapped in their cars had to either risk walking in vehicle traffic or getting attacked by the protesters. If the statement of travelers being attacked at LAX are true, than that was not an unreasonable fear. Of course many of these pro-Hamas protests have been violent, with at least one person being killed. 

Thankfully, for once, the police broke up these protests fairly quickly. Many times the police end up protecting people blocking roads but in this case they actually enforced the law. Unfortunately, I don't see these people getting the long jail and prison sentences they deserve. Even when the police do their jobs the prosecutors will not. 

I think that blocking roads is, by far, completely counterproductive. It's going to push people that are pro-Israel to be more so and will push fence sitters in their favor. And even people that are supportive of Hamas will be annoyed enough that they might stop caring. Doing it on one of the busiest travel days in the year? I guarantee that anyone that was delayed by this now hate these people with the fire of a thousand suns. 

Indeed, I am amazed that these people aren't getting hurt or killed, either accidently or deliberately. Blocking a road seems extremely dangerous, especially in the first few seconds. And it also seems designed to annoy people as much as possible, to the point where violence is inevitable. Indeed, they would have a good argument for self defense, especially if the reports of the protesters attacking people at LAX are true. 

I also find their political argument to be nonsensical. There might be things to criticize about Israel's conduct in their war against Gaza, with this incident being the most notable, they are still not the bad guys no matter what they do to Hamas. Wanting Israel to not exist and supporting the actions of Hamas is simply beyond the pale. Blocking the road would do nothing to change my mind, but it would change my opinion of being mildly annoyed and baffled by the existence of these people, to wanting them to spend the rest of their lives in an 8 by 10 cell. 

I am not a big person for celebrating New Year's Eve but if I was, I'd be skipping it this year if I lived in a big city. Indeed, I am, at the very least, expecting major riots to break out in New York at the very least, possibly in other places as well. And there is a very real chance of a major terror attack in the name of Gaza happening on New Year's as well...