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Protesters calling for cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war block freeway in Seattle for several hours (apnews.com)

submitted 10 months ago by Philo@sh.itjust.works to c/usa@lemmy.ml

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Can someone please calmly explain how blocking a freeway across an ocean and a country on a different continent, is supposed to have any effect on a political issue in the middle east?

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[–] cleanandsunny 18 points 10 months ago (4 children)

FWIW, this is one of the most common forms of protest in Seattle since BLM. It’s not necessarily newsworthy to us locals! And yes, to confirm, most people in the city get pretty annoyed with protestors when it happens. A lot of people late to work, missing medical appointments, stranded with kids in the car, etc.

[–] verdigris@lemmy.ml 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Hey guys, another local checking in to say protest is cool and effective protest is even cooler!

You might even say that people being late to work is exactly the economic impact that such a protest is designed to create.

[–] ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Eh we did it back protesting invading Iraq. Didn't do anything then.

But Seattle wasn't Amazon back then.

[–] cleanandsunny 3 points 10 months ago

No, we didn’t stop the war. I marched with 300k people in Washington (a lot of veterans) and we still didn’t stop the war. But I think the widespread and global protests of the Iraq war made it clear that the US was going to wage war despite its unpopularity, evidence, allies backing out, etc. A similar thing appears to be happening now with the backlash to Israel’s Hamas response.

Here’s a good column about what those protests writ large “accomplished.” https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/20-year-anniversary-of-iraq-war-protests

[–] jaybone@lemmy.world -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

People who work on ambulances love when protestors close roads like this.

[–] verdigris@lemmy.ml 1 points 10 months ago

Ambulances have dispatch to warn and redirect them, and sirens to force their way down the shoulder to an exit. Effective protest has to have an effect.