Pro-Palestinian activists have held up traffic at Belfast Harbour as part of a global day of action against Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
Protestors stood across both lanes of Dufferin Road, a key transit point at the harbour, as part of the call by the A15 action group for a ‘coordinated economic blockade to free Palestine’.
The group had urged activists in cities across the globe on Monday to “identify and blockade major choke points in the economy, focusing on points of production and circulation with the aim of causing the most economic impact”.
The group has claimed the global economy “is complicit in genocide” in Gaza, and the blockades were held in cities including New York, Chicago, London, Brussels and Dublin.
In Belfast, activists stood in the road at the docks, and a spokesperson said they received support from some passing drivers, while others expressed anger at the protest.
“Overall, activists were successful in their aim to cause significant disruption to trade and, for as long as possible, halt the wheels of capital,” the spokesperson said.
“There were no arrests made - however, local police told legal observers that the action was extremely disruptive to the port’s business for the day and that repression will be robust if we ever decide to come back.
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“This was a coordinated act of solidarity by participants of all ages, from both the PUL and CNR communities and from a variety of ethnic, religious, economic and national backgrounds, all united in our steadfast rejection of the horrors unfolding in Palestine.”
A PSNI spokesperson said its officers arrived at the scene on Monday morning to assist officers from Belfast Harbour Police.
A spokesperson for Belfast Harbour Police said: “The protest caused some disruption for Port users but was resolved promptly and peacefully, after discussion with the protesters, allowing normal movement in and out of the Port to resume.”
