Pro-Hamas protesters in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City were causing massive traffic delays and safety issues, including blocking first responders and law enforcement from executing their duties on Monday.
But not in Florida.
A group of pro-Hamas protesters took to the streets of Miami Monday to voice their demands for a cease-fire in Gaza.
However, the demonstration quickly turned into a clash with law enforcement as they attempted to block traffic and the entrance to Port Miami.
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City of Miami officers, equipped with riot gear, mounted on horses and motorcycles, were deployed to prevent the protesters from advancing towards the port. State troopers and armored vehicles joined them.
Several protesters were arrested and loaded into transport vans. Some demonstrators were seen being dragged from the streets after attempting to lie down and block traffic. In total, seven individuals were arrested for obstructing traffic and refusing to remain in the designated protest area.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted the police action, saying, “You had videos where these pro-Hamas protesters were shutting down bridges and streets all across this country. And what happened when they tried to do that in Miami? They got their butts dragged off the street like they should have.”
Communications Director for the Governor’s Office, Bryan Griffin, posted on X Monday, “In Florida, we drag these people out of the road and arrest them.”
Former FBI agent Nicole Parker on Monday criticized anti-Israel protesters blocking traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge as well as other major roadways and said they may be breaking the law.
The protesters want to halt American taxpayer money from flowing to Israel, as well as cease providing the country with weapons in its war against the terrorist group Hamas, organizers say.
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“Obviously, people have their First Amendment rights. They can speak up,” Parker said. “But you don’t have the right to inconvenience others. You don’t have the right to cause danger or potential violence. You don’t have the right to obstruct first responders and law enforcement from doing their job. As we watch the images on the screen, this is an absolute nightmare for law enforcement. But they’re looking at it from a very different perspective. Obviously people are inconvenienced, but law enforcement, they’re always looking at safety, and they’re looking at the safety of the citizens and potential threat that could be going on right here.”
“The most important thing obviously is to contain the scene,” Parker added. “You’ve got a scene where you got a bridge. No one can even move. It’s completely locked down. Law enforcement is concerned about potential threats.”
An analogous group of protesters on Monday morning temporarily halted traffic on a freeway going to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, The Associated Press reported, as demonstrators participate in an “economic blockade to free Palestine.”
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“The golden gate bridge is iconic. Okay, that is a prime time target if there was to be a potential danger or attack,” Parker said. “So law enforcement is looking at that extremely closely right now … You have your right to speak up, but you don’t have the right to inconvenience or cause danger to other citizens.”
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