Middle East Eye reports in a widely viewed on-the-ground video: “Demonstrators chained themselves together and underneath vehicles. Police officers used chainsaws and other power tools to remove them after hours of disruption at the terminal.”
A statement from the activists was posted at World Beyond War: “Ten Activists in New Jersey Arrested for Blockading Israel-Bound Weapons Shipment.” It gives a detailed breakdown: “Over 30 activists blockaded the entry point to the Maher Terminals of the Port of Newark-Elizabeth, attempting to prevent a shipment of ammunition and weapons components to Israel by the vessel ZIM Virginia. The activists called for the eviction of the Israeli shipping company Zim Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM) and … the Danish Maersk — the two primary shipping-logistics companies responsible for transporting U.S.-manufactured weapons components to Israel. … ZIM left Oakland in 2014 after a campaign of sustained community pressure and protest organized by AROC (Arab Research and Organizing Center) and honored by ILWU (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) Local 10 and didn’t return for seven years. When they finally tried to dock again in 2021, they were turned away.”
One of the activists, Jonathan Nault, said while chained (see video): “We are here today in protest of the illegal shipment of tanks, combat vehicles, munitions, and bomb parts to the settlement of Israel by ZIM and MAERSK. … In solidarity with the port movements of Oakland Calif., Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, Sweden, and Greece, we call upon the International Longshoreman’s Association to stop loading shipments onto ZIM ships. …
“91 percent of all Israel-bound military cargo that doesn’t pass through a military base, passes through the Port of Elizabeth, at a rate of 1000 tons per week. This fact leaves us with a unique … call to action: cut the supply chain of genocide.”
Contacts, who are available for interviews and can point media to those arrested:
Haqq Sankara
Mary Anne Grady Flores, [email protected]