Tampa, FL – At the early hour of 5:00 a.m., Oct. 11, over 25 activists gathered at the entrance of the Tampa Port. Organized by the network of activists called Block the Boat, the crowd built more support among International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) Local 1402 workers, to stop Israeli shipping. The goal of the Block the Boat movement is to place economic pressure on Israel to stop killing and oppressing Palestinians.

There is a growing number of students participating in the Boycott, Divest And Sanction (BDS) campaign against Israeli apartheid and rallying against ZIM – an Israeli shipping company – is a part of that movement.

In September the Block the Boat group was able to delay the ZIM Alabama ship from docking on time.

The presence of Block the Boat was welcomed by many truckers and workers arriving in the port. Many waved as they drove by and honked in support.

At one point a caravan of five vehicles drove close to the entrance of the port, with participants in the protest chanting “Free, free Palestine!” and honking in support of the other activists in the protest zone. Port Security along with Tampa Police pulled all of the cars over and cited the majority of the drivers.

Protests will continue and people are encouraged to participate in the movement against Israeli apartheid. You can visit blocktheboattampa.org for more information on upcoming events.

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