Pro-Palestinian demonstrators chain selves to gangway of USNS Harvey Milk in San Francisco
A group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied at the San Francisco waterfront where the USNS Harvey Milk was docked Friday, with some protestors chaining themselves to the gangway of the ship.
The group gathered to protest the Friday morning ceremony celebrating the ship and its namesake at Pier 30/32 attended by U.S. House Emerita Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco Mayor London Breed, along with other local and military officials. The Arab Resource and Organizing Center was one of the groups that set up the protest and claimed that the ship was bound for Gaza to support Israel's military effort.
The group stood in the rain outside the fence set up along the perimeter when some protesters scaled the fence and made their way to the ship.
A KPIX photographer said some of the protesters who breached security and got to the ship chained themselves to the gangway. SFPD and military security responded to the demonstrators. Video from the scene appeared to show several of the demonstrators being taken into custody.
San Francisco police confirmed it was monitoring the protest at around 11:30 a.m. when officers "observed crimes being committed." Police have not confirmed any arrests in the incident, but said they were continuing to monitor the incident for potential civil disobedience.
Authorities appeared to use bolt cutters to remove the chains the protesters used to fasten their bodies to the gangway. Police loaded those demonstrators into a van and the remaining group eventually dispersed.
In an update Friday evening, San Francisco police said that 10 adult females and four adult males were arrested. The suspects were cited and released for the charge of trespassing, while five suspects had an additional charge of resisting arrest.
Police also said that an officer at the scene along with three others suffered non-life-threatening injuries during the incident.
