Oakland Block the Boat misses the boat, again

There was another anti-Israel promenade across the Oakland docks on Sunday.  It was a picture perfect day by the bay, and yes, it was a lovely day for a walk.  Holding signs calling for the destruction of Israel, 150 activists walked from West Oakland BART to the docks, aiming to stop a boat that wasn't even coming. (How could they fail?)  What was particularly strange about this particular  "block the boat protest" is that the anti-Israel activists were protesting the Zim Beijing, a ship heading due west, that was well over a thousand miles away.

Perhaps they hadn't bothered to check the schedule at Zim's website?

As part of Zim's restructuring, they will be consolidating  their shipping, and relying more on subcontractors. Economies of scale are particularly important in container shipping and this current strategy may enable them to survive the economic downturn within the shipping industry.

Expect the BDS'ers to distort this routine business decision beyond recognition and call it a "victory" for their cause.

Cognitive dissonance at the Port of Oakland

From the BDS Marin website, with no evidence at all that it was ever actually sent to ILWU local 10.

Stop Zim Action Committee letter of thanks to ILWU Local 10 workers at Oakland port

October 3, 2014 
 

Stop ZIM Action Committee
@StopZIMOak snurl.com/stopzims27
October 2, 2014

Brothers and Sisters of ILWU Local 10,

We, members and supporters of the Stop Zim Action Committee, want to express our gratitude to Local 10 members, who in the best tradition of the ILWU, upheld the principle of labor solidarity by honoring our picket line against the ZIM Shanghai on September 27.

We were protesting the Israeli government’s genocidal bombings of Palestinians in Gaza that killed over 2,100 people, mostly civilians, as we had informed Local 10 members by leafleting at the union hall.

Thanks to your support, day and night, we were able to send a clear message to the Israeli government that when they slaughter innocent Palestinian people, their ships will be targeted by protest actions. This is consistent with ILWU Local 10’s position of defending the rights of Palestinians.

Three of the picketing protesters were Local 10 retirees who were organizers of ILWU’s historic 1984 anti-apartheid action in San Francisco. One of them announced to a rally at the picket at SSA’s Berth 57 that an announcement had been made at the dispatch hall requesting longshoremen not to take jobs on the ZIM ship. The rally broke into thunderous applause as it was reported that only one job was filled.

We know ILWU doesn’t have a longshore contract yet and actions like this can be taken by the union without legal retaliation from the employer. There could not have been a stronger showing of support than longshore workers refusing to take a dispatch to the ZIM ship. In return for your solidarity we offer to mobilize ourselves and others from the community to be on your picket line if successful contract negotiations are not achieved and ILWU goes on strike. We’ve got your back!

An Injury to One is an Injury to All!
Stop ZIM Action Committee

Its curious that they've claimed that  "longshore workers refusing to take a dispatch to the ZIM ship" considering the Stop Zim activists themselves documented longshore workers attempting to get to their jobs, and being forced back.

ILWU prevented from working at the Oakland docks

Yep. Nothing says solidarity like screaming obscenities, Sara.

There's  a reason there is cognitive dissonance at the Port of Oakland. Its because liars have short memories. 

ZIM reported ready to abandon Oakland Port

From The Marine Executive:

On Sunday night, after not being able to unload at the Port of Oakland, the ZIM Shanghai headed to the Port of Los Angeles. According to The Jewish Press, ZIM may not call on the Port of Oakland again. Other shipping companies wary of the port’s unreliability may also consider the same.

With an estimated 150 ZIM visits a year, that’s a lot of business and perhaps even jobs for the City of Oakland to lose, says the news agency.

The longshoremen of Oakland have claimed that they were physically threatened by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) protestors involved in the blockade of the vessel and that the leadership of their union, the ILWU, is not involved in the demonstrations. The union released a statement after claims arose that some in their leadership were using the BDS protest to bolster their contract negotiating position with the port.

As far as the union can ascertain, the protests are organized by a coalition of individuals and organizations that plan events and create action alerts under the name of "Block the Boat for Gaza" online.

The Port of Oakland is the only port in the United States so far where BDS protesters have been able to intimidate and physically threaten the longshoremen into not working.

Curiouser and curiouser.

On Monday Sept. 29, Clarence Thomas from Local 10 of the ILWU participated in a talk at Laney College, where he described coordinating the protest at the docks with members of the Arab Resource organizing center. This is in direct contradiction to the Union’s formal written statement. Is the union leadership sacrificing the rank and file by making back room deals with extremist groups? Is the union deliberately hiding their role in organizing the protests so they can claim victimhood? Are they using the protests as a bargaining chip in their contract negotiations with the port? Or is Clarence Thomas simply lying?

These are all questions that need answers.

It has been reported that Zim has made the decision that the Port of Oakland is too poorly managed to be a reliable partner in the international shipping business, and is moving their business elsewhere. Other shipping companies, seeing how vulnerable the port is to disturbances may follow suit. And Oakland Mayor Jean Quan is too caught up in her own re-election campaign to pay this issue any attention.

While the BDS holes will likely claim victory over this, there are no winners. The Port of Oakland will now live with the consequences of weak leadership. It has lost more than jobs. It has lost credibility.

UPDATE
Zim has denied reports that it will stop shipping through Oakland. 
From a Statement in American Shipper, issued October 2:

 ZIM disputed reports that suggest it might end service to the Port of Oakland after demonstrators disrupted cargo operations over the weekend and a ship had to divert of the Port of Los Angeles to discharge cargo. There was a similar protest in August, but that ZIM ship was eventually able to work at a different terminal in Oakland. An article on the website of the Jewish Press newspaper Wednesday reported that "there are questions if ZIM ships will continue to try to use the Port of Oakland anymore." The report was also cited by Maritime Executive . But a spokesman for ZIM said Thursday that "this report isn't accurate. ZIM is not pulling out of Oakland; the customers there are important for the company....

The lack of accurate information from the union, the port and from the media is a continued source of frustration for people attempting to track the situation at the docks.

Threatening Dockworkers. This is not your grandfather's "Solidarity"

Physically threatening clerks and longshoremen. This is the true face of the BDS movement

ILWU statement on blockage of Zim vessel by protestors at Port of Oakland

SAN FRANCISCO, CA: At 6:00 PM Saturday, ILWU Local 10 and 34 represented longshoremen and clerks dispatched to work the vessel ZIM Shanghai at SSA’s Oakland California Terminal were met with hostile demonstrators, effectively blocking all access to the terminal. Longshoremen and Clerks trying to report to work were threatened physically at some points of ingress and their personal vehicles were physically blocked. As such, all personnel stood-by outside of the demonstration perimeters for health and safety purposes. At approximately 8 PM SSA released all personnel from work.

As far as the union can ascertain, the protests are organized by a coalition of individuals and organizations that plan events and create action alerts under the name of “Block the Boat for Gaza” online.

The ILWU is not among the groups organizing the protests, and the leadership and membership of the ILWU have taken no position on the Israel/Gaza conflict.

ILWU Coast Longshore Division news release: Saturday, September 27, 2014

Contacts:

Jennifer Sargent, 503-703-2933

Craig Merrilees, 510-774-5325

No Solidarity in Oakland, as protesters bully Longshoremen

From Emunah,  who made a guest appearance at the Oakland waterfront yesterday afternoon, to bear witness to the latest day of rage against the Zim lines

***********

It did not compute. There were only two-dozen protesters at the Oakland docks for the September 27th  morning protest, yet activists claimed  their picket line was honored "in solidarity" by the ILWU

 

I decided to see for myself, arriving at the Oakland docks in time for the evening shift. There were only 6 people lolling around at 4:30, so I drove around a bit. The  whole area is a red zone- with no parking. The nearest legitimate parking was nearly a mile a way.  But it was obvious  that the protesters were ignoring the red zones, and as more and more came and parked in the red, I finally did the same. 

Jack Heyman (a retired longshoreman from the ILWU, and an organizer /instigator of block the boat campaign) came up to me, oblivious to the fact that I was holding an Israeli flag and an "Israel wants peace sign" and asked me to use my car to block the ILWU parking lot entrance.  

Um, I don't think so, Jack.

I couldn't help but wonder, if the union stands in "solidarity" with your cause,  why is it necessary to block their egress?

Oakland Block the Boat featured a motley collection of career activists,  wacky conspiracy theorists and  Occupy Oakland leftovers. 

Come, on, really?  Who graffitis their own van?

Paul Larudee,  Marina and Andrew Gutierrez , Terry O'Brien, Russell Bates, Toby Blome  and Peter Tcherneff were there. Was that Kate Raphael, sporting a bouncy new hair style?  The days events featured aging hippies, not young  jihadis.  Its the jihadis turn Oct 25.

Oakland  anti-Israel activist  and psychedelic relic Madrone Mofeeta  (aka Madrone Jack), made a dramatic display of photographing my  license plates, while hissing "Zionist filth" at me.

Protesters used cars, lawn furniture, bicycles and small children to block the entrance to the ILWU union parking lot.

Their signage was the usual cliches of eternal victimhood, finger-pointing, and down-right anti-Semitism

Psst. Block the Boat- both the West bank and Gaza have called for a nation ruled under Sharia law. A secular state is your pipe dream, not theirs

By 6 , there were about 60 people present. Jack  Heyman  was receiving information directly from the union hall and was orchestrating the protest.  He claimed  the union told the port they would guarantee the ship would be unloaded if there was no police presence.  There was no police presence. The union had put in a work order for the evening, and the group could vote on whether or not they wanted to stay, or to attempt to block the  workers.  He told me I wasn't allowed to vote. : - (  There was no democracy on the streets on Oakland that evening.


The group voted to stay and prevent the union workers from coming in- Jack spread people out between the 5 gates. Describing their numbers as "thin",  Jack urged the protesters to call their friends and bring in reinforcements.

Cars were physically blocked and prevented from coming to work. The drivers were photographed, in a crude attempt to intimidate them.  ILWU workers  became increasingly angry.
 

I spoke to a few of the longshoremen who were clueless about the politics. Not pro, not con, just completed baffled  as to why they  were being dragged into this.
 
In spite of the intimidation and the  physical obstruction of workers,  anti-Israel activists  claimed  "solidarity". Their "picket" was "honored".

I recognize solidarity when I see it.  An engineer operating on the tracks behind me stopped his engine, and thanked me profusely for being there.

On his second pass for the evening, he brought me cold water.

He stopped by again when his shift was over, bringing more water, and again effusively thanking me.

The Zim ship left port without being unloaded. The Port of Oakland has proven its impotence, and its unreliability as a place to do business.

Who will pay the ultimate cost of this cheap symbolic "victory" ?  The port will suffer for this. And the thousands of people who rely on the port for their livelihood will suffer.  Ultimately, Oakland will suffer. 

Congresswoman Hahn Releases Statement on Protests Regarding Zim Ship at the Port of Oakland

Rep. Janice Hahn represents California's forty-fourth District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a member of the House Committee on transportation and Infrastructure and issued this statement on  August 19th regarding the fiasco that was taking place at the Oakland docks.  With Seattle in the cross-hair of the anti-Israel activists tomorrow, it is still relevant.

SAN PEDRO, CA—Today, Congresswoman Hahn released the following statement on the ILWU Local 10’s decision not to unload a Zim ship docked at the Port of Oakland that has been the subject of ongoing protests:

“It is critical to the state’s local economy that this ship be unloaded. I urge the local police department to take steps to ensure ILWU Local 10 workers’ safety so that they may reconsider their decision and unload this Zim ship. This issue is about commerce in the United States not the political situation in the Middle East . Failing to unload this ship threatens the local economy and jobs this community relies on. I have been assured that the local police can guarantee the safe passage of workers at the terminal while allowing the peaceful protests to continue.”

“With cargo diversion a constant threat to our West coast ports, not unloading this cargo, simply sends the wrong message.”

“Last week in my San Pedro office, I convened a meeting with the local ILWU, the Israeli Counsel General, clergy, and representatives from Jewish Labor and the Port of Los Angeles to discuss this issue. We were assured by our ILWU leadership that they are neutral on the political situation in the Middle East and guaranteed that the ships in LA and Long Beach would be unloaded. As the co-chair of the Congressional PORTS Caucus, I hope that we can hold similar meetings in Northern California to bring key leaders to the table to find a resolution.”

“Finally, I stand with the Teamsters in calling on the ILWU to unload the Zim ship and allow important commerce to continue.”

Congresswoman Hahn is the founder and co-chair of the Congressional PORTS Caucus. She represents America ’s Port – the Port of Los Angeles . With the Port of Long Beach , it is the largest port complex in the nation.

Breelyn Pete
(202) 225-8220
Breelyn.Pete( at)mail.house.gov

Block the Boat Fail: Unleashing the scourge of red lentils upon the world

Its all about the "occupation", they’ll tell you. 

And that’s why dock workers and longshoremen at the Port of Oakland were harassed for four days.

All to prevent crates of sparkling wine, olives and ceramic tiles from Spain, cheese and rice from Italy and organic red lentils from Turkey from being unloaded from the Zim Piraeus. Or perhaps the fanatics were targeting the irrigation equipment and solar heaters that happened to be manufactured in Israel.

More likely the protesters simply didn’t care. 

They didn't care that the Piraeus ZIM Piraeus wasn’t Israeli-owned or flagged. They didn’t care that ZIM America contracts with a Greek company Costamare to manage and operate ZIM Piraeus. Slightly more than 30% of Zim is owned by Israeli interests and that was good enough for them

For years, anti-Israel activists have been struggling to grow their movement, to find linkages with progressive causes. Unions were a natural target, and the International Longshore Workers Union Local 10 has been courted by the haters for years. What role the union and the local in particular played in this fiasco are yet to be determined.

Paul Larudee on Block the Boat: Truth-impaired and clueless.

 The clueless of anti-Israel agitators is a remarkable thing to behold.

In an article published in Middle East Monitor, Paul Larudee of the Free Palestine Movement displays not only an unusual denseness but a casual willingness to ignore reality. For its part, the Middle East Monitor invested no effort in fact-checking or verifying Paul's testimony

Paul Larudee in happier times. Photo from the Contra Costa times

From Middle East Monitor:

 According to Dr Paul Larudee, a co-founder of the Free Palestine movement, thousands of activists waving Palestinian flags turned out to blockade the Israeli cargo ship Ever Lasting, which pulled into a harbour in the San Francisco Bay on Saturday morning.

 The protesters intended to form a picket line to prevent work crews from unloading the ship, responding to the Palestinian General Federation Trade Union's BDS call for workers around the world to refuse to handle Israeli goods. "The Ever Lasting and its sister ship ZIM Piraeus were both due to be unloaded that day," Dr Larudee told MEMO.

"As it approached the docks, however, the Ever Lasting was ordered by the port authority to return to the entrance and moor to the side until further notice. In the meantime, the ZIM Piraeus had been treading water off the coast of Monterey since the previous evening."

In reality, the EverLasting is not an "Israeli cargo ship"  It's Hong Kong flagged and owned by a Chinese company. It does not even doesn't sail to Israel. Its not a "sister ship" to the Piraeus. Its not even a distant cousin.


The Ever Lasting sailed into Oakland harbor early Saturday morning.

and was unloaded without incident. There was not a single protester on the docks. The protest call , originally issued for 5 am, had been changed to 3pm.

Ever Lasting unload at Oakland harbor early Saturday morning

No, Paul. The 500 protesters that showed up at the Oakland docks late in the afternoon  at had no effect whatsoever on the docking or unloading of the Ever Lasting.

According to John Driscoll, of the Port of Oakland  

"Seaport operations were not impacted by the protest.  Operations scheduled for tonight and tomorrow are currently expected to proceed as planned."

And yes, Paul, he's a more trustworthy source than you. Paul Larudee's block the boat: It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Anti-Israel Activists miss the boat. Block the Boat fail.

In 2010, anti-Israel activists at the Port of  Oakland  sought to block a Zim cargo ship from docking. They issued press-releases declaring victory well before the targeted Zim ship had even steamed through the Golden Gate. Mainstream media was complicit in spreading their lies.

Photo from the San Francisco chronicle

Fast forward.

Its deja vu all over again.

The same activists, spearheaded by the extremist Arab Resource and Organizing center planned a similar action for this weekend, organizing largely via social media.  Originally calling for  activists to meet at the West Oakland BART station at 5 am, they inexplicably changed direction, re-issuing a call for action at 3pm.

There is some speculation that they knew they would be unable to achieve critical mass at 5am, while most of the local anarchists were still sleeping off their beer hang-overs, and that was the primary reason for the change. 

From Jane Jewell, of  the Marin county group 14 friends of Palestine

But there is also some speculation that the organizers were made aware that they were targeting the wrong ship.  Although it appears on the Zim website, the EverLasting is not a  Zim vessel. It was a fools choice for the Block the Boat organizers: Do they block the wrong boat, or do they block a boat that hasn't arrived yet?

Via twitter:
The Everlasting was off-loaded without incident, and the Piraeus became the focus of the action.

At 3, several hundred gathered at the West Oakland Bart station, and began the march to the docks. It was a typical Bay Area "peace" rally.

And as usual in the Bay area, not a single of the sponsoring "human rights" groups said a word about this glorification of violence . And as usual, although the protesters were happy to declare "victory", there was no real effect on port functions.

From the Oakland Block the boat march

The flag of the terror group Hamas was proudly displayed.

Hamas terror flag at Oakland block the boat march

No one would ever mistake the Block the boat activists for patriots, as they joked about burning American flags

From John Driscoll, of the Port of Oakland

At about 4:30 pm today, approximately 500 protesters entered the Port's maritime area (seaport) and demonstrated along Middle Harbor Road, near the Oakland International Container Terminal.  The protest was related to the Gaza-Israel conflict in the Middle East.

As of 5:30 pm, the protesters were leaving the seaport.  As a cautionary measure, law enforcement is maintaining a presence on-site.  Seaport operations were not impacted by the protest.  Operations scheduled for tonight and tomorrow are currently expected to proceed as planned.

As of 6:30, the Piraeus had not yet docked.
 

Wishing the haters of peaceful co-existence many more such victories.

The protesters did accomplish one thing from this utterly pointless maneuver.  A fundraiser for "The Vagina Monologues."  scheduled for the waterfront was cancelled and forced to relocate. The organizers scrambled to find a last minute venue to relocate their event

The Block the boat action has done more than hurt the reputation of the Port of Oakland as a stable hub for U.S. shipping.  The block the boat activists have proven themselves to be bad neighbors all around.  I'm certain no one is surprised.

UPDATE: In spite anti-Israel activists claims to the contrary,  the Longshore and Shipping News reported  Thirty ILWU members worked the ship, starting at 10 PM Tuesday and completing the work at 4 AM Wednesday.

Block the Boat earns the endorsement of the PFLP terror group

The Aug 16 blockade of a Zim cargo ship in the port of Oakland has the endorsement of the PLFP terror group, who write

 "The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine praises the direct actions taken by various groups around the world to shut down the operations of the war machine assaulting the Palestinian people, and calls for increasing and escalating these actions everywhere the occupier and its supporters are present.

The Front commended the multiple direct actions around the world targeting Israeli embassies, consulates, institutions and corporations, including the 2-day occupation of an Elbit arms factory outside Birmingham, UK; the blockade of the Israeli embassy in The Hague; the shutdown of El Al’s ticket counter in Athens; popular de-shelving and removal of Israeli products in Ireland; and actions in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Albuquerque in the United States at Israeli missions and consulates, Bank Leumi, Israel Discount Bank, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin, as well as a upcoming blockade of an Israeli ZIM Ship in Oakland, California."

To the other endorsers:
American Friends Service Committee
American Muslims for Palestine
ANSWER Coalition
Arab Youth Organizing (AYO)
AROC: Arab Resource & Organizing Center
ASATA
BAYAN-USA
Black Organizing Leadership and Dignity (BOLD)
Catalyst Project
CodePink Washington
Descoloniza a Oakland/Decolonize Oakland
Free Palestine Movement
Freedom Archives
Friends of Deir Ibzi'a
General Union of Palestine Students – SFSU
Global Women’s Strike
Haiti Action Committee
International Action Center
International Jewish Anti Zionist Network
International Socialist Organization
ISM-NorCal
Jewish Voice for Peace
Justice for Palestinians
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA)
NorCal Friends of Sabeel
ONYX Organizing Committee
Palestinian Youth Movement
Queers Undermining Israeli Terror
San Francisco Green Party
SOUL: School of Unity and Liberation
Students for Justice in Palestine – Cal
Totally Radical Muslims
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
US Committee for the Academic and Cultural Boycott
US Palestinian Community Network
World Can't Wait Bay Area
Workers World Party
Xicana Moratorium

You are known by the company you keep. How can you  stand in solidarity with a terrorist group, responsible for heinous murders, kidnapping and hijacking throughout the globe?  According to a  recent report by the Shurat HaDin (the Israel law center) the "PFLP is responsible  or numerous suicide bombings, airplane hijackings, and assassinations, including some of the most notorious international terror attacks of the 1970s."

From the report

There is overwhelming evidence that the PFLP is continuing its terrorist activities. In 2001, Israel’s domestic security service, the Shabak (a.k.a. The Israel Security Agency), broke up a series of coordinated PFLP terror cells in Ramallah. The Shabak report states that the network was planning to kidnap an Israeli soldier in order to demand the release of Palestinian terrorists, similar to Hamas’ kidnapping of Gilad Shalit in 2006. 

In addition, plans were in place to attack Jewish settlements, bomb the roads around Jerusalem, and murder suspected collaborators. Two similar networks were uncovered in 2012, and a third in May 2013. As recently as January 2014, two PFLP terrorists in Gaza were killed in an Israeli airstrike due to their involvement in firing rockets at Israeli civilians.

Its yet another example of the increasingly unhinged  and shameless hypocrisy of groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and the American Friends Service Committee, who self-righteously provide cover for the forces of evil and of terror.

Block the Boat Interruptus: Blockade of Zim Ship at Oakland Docks Postponed

If anything, the enemies of Israel excel at self-promoting.  A proposed plan by Islamists and anarchists  to  march on the Oakland port to prevent a Zim ship  from off-loading was widely publicized,  with the San Jose  Mercury news and other media outlets picking up the story.    Zim is one of the leading carriers in the global container shipping industry, and was targeted because of its close ties with  Israel.  The Zim fleet’s illustrious history began by transporting refugees from war-torn Europe back home to the land of Israel.

This tactic was tried before in 2010, with mixed results.   The Father’s Day action in 2010 ultimately claimed to have prevented a Zim liner from off-loading, though the claim of  ‘victory” was issued well before the ship had actually docked.   Again, the mainstream media was complicit in the spread of misinformation, printing verbatim press releases issued by activists.

This years’ march on the docks, coordinated by an extremist anti-Israel group, the Arab Resource and Organizing Center ( AROC ), in conjunction with local anarchist groups and the pitiful remnants of the Occupy Oakland contingent was to take place on Saturday, Aug 2.  After an initial wave of self-congratulatory press releases, there are now wide-spread reports of cancellation. 

The coalition had failed to make inroads with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union ( ILWU)  , who were justifiably skeptical  about having their names linked  with these extremist groups.

Some anarchists groups itching for a fight  have expressed their desire to march on the docks nonetheless. Nothing like some random chaos and destruction and good old fashioned breaking and smashing in the name of peace, after all.

UPDATE:
"Block the Boat" is now scheduled for August 16, with or without union support