Many anxious travelers left their cars and walked from the interstate to their terminals at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago after anti-Israel activists blocked the entryways to the airport in hopes of sending a message about the war in Gaza.
At around 8:30 a.m., dozens of protesters reportedly sat across the roadways at the entrances of terminals one, two, and three at the airport to keep cars from passing through. According to an Instagram post from Chicago Dissenters, the activists were there to “disrupt Boeing’s operations” and “demand an end to the U.S. government’s arming of the Israeli regime.”
A woman from Chicago Dissenters accused Boeing of “sending fighter jets [and] bombs to support Israel’s bombardment of Gaza,” which she called “an act of genocide.” The protesters are “putting their body on the line” to “free Palestine,” she insisted with glee.
“From the river to the sea, a Palestine will be free in OUR lifetimes,” a message in the post added.
“There will be NO business as usual while Palestinians suffer at the hands of American funded bombing by Israel,” another Instagram post from the group stated.
An X post from the airport confirmed that “protest activity” had disrupted normal airport operations and warned passengers that traffic in and around the area might be “substantially delayed” as a result. The airport advised passengers to use other means of transportation, including the CTA Blue Line train, to get to their terminals.
However, those who were already in their cars when the disruptions began had few options. Many simply grabbed their luggage and huffed their way to the terminals.
Google Maps indicates that the distance from I-190, where many of them were stranded, to the terminal is not insubstantial:
Screenshot of Google Maps
Not only did the activists intentionally inconvenience everyone at the airport on Monday morning, but the woman in the Chicago Dissenters post even showed disdain for their safety, bragging that so many were “leaving the cars and walking up the I-90 highway.” Thankfully, there have been no reports of injuries.
Though the woman said that the activists would not leave until others “removed” them, the protest was disbanded within about 45 minutes. Vehicular traffic then resumed, but cars were so backed up that travel times were still likely delayed.
Whether traffic patterns have yet returned to normal is unclear, though Chicago is notorious for traffic congestion. FOX 32 reached out to state and local police, some of whom were on the scene during the demonstrations, for more information.
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