Pro-Palestinian protestors, led by the San Francisco-based Arab Resource & Organizing Center (Aroc), have claimed victory in turning a ZIM ship away from the Port of Oakland in California. The organisation’s ‘Block the Boat’ campaign aims to prevent Israeli ship operator Zim Integrated Shipping Services from docking anywhere during an ‘International Week of Action’ that will end on June 9.
ZIM said that delays at Oakland were the reason for the ship’s departure. In a message to Middle East Eye, the carrier said, “Due to operational constraints and long delays in the port of Oakland, and in order to meet schedule departures in the Far East, we will be calling on other US West Coast Ports until further notice.”
According to Aroc, similar protests are planned for ports in Seattle, Los Angeles and New York, as well as Vancouver, Canada.
In May, members of the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union in Durban, South Africa, responded to a call from the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions and refused to offload cargo from a ZIM ship.
Dockworkers in Livorno, Italy, withheld their service to load a shipment of arms going to Israel.
On May 25, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Northern California District Council also expressed its support of the Palestinians in a written statement.
