Pro-Gaza agitators face suit from Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute for blocking DC roads during protest

On Friday, a lawsuit was filed against multiple far-left anti-Israel groups for shutting down highways, trapping motorists against their will for hours.

The Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (HLLI) filed its lawsuit on behalf of Daniel Faoro, who was trapped in the blockade, orchestrated by left-wing groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace, the Palestinian Youth Movement, and its fiscal sponsor, the Westchester Political Action Committee Foundation.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the radical activists shut down access to several major roadways in Washington, DC on Feb. 1, 2024. 23 anti-Israel activists were arrested on charges of "crowding, obstructing or incommoding," and three were also charged with resisting arrest.

The radicals, many of which were wearing Palestinian keffiyehs popularized by mass murderer Yasser Arafat, chained themselves together in the middle of highways while others linked arms inside PVC pipes, forming human chains to block roads. The activists chanted "From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free," "We Don’t Want No Jewish State" and "If We Don’t Get It, Shut It Down!"

According to the lawsuit, commuters "were trapped in their vehicles with no inkling as to when their freedom of movement would be restored." The complaint stated, "Thousands of commuters were late for work or school, or missed critical appointments and important events, some of which may have been scheduled weeks in advance. Plaintiff Faoro and other innocent class members traveling into and around the District that morning had nothing to do with the conflict thousands of miles away, or the debate within Congress regarding support for Israel; many probably have no opinion at all on the issue."

Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (HLLI) president Anna St. John told the Washington Free Beacon, "Blocking roads is not free speech, it’s lawlessness. These activists disrupted daily life for countless individuals. HLLI's lawsuit seeks to ensure that those responsible face consequences and that this kind of behavior is not repeated."

In September, HLLI filed a similar class action lawsuit against anti-Israel organizations that blocked the highway leading to Chicago O’Hare International Airport in April. Multiple far-left radical groups, including the George Soros-funded Tides Center and National Students for Justice in Palestine, coordinated a "multi-city economic blockade" targeting major airports, highways, and bridges.

Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) announced in an X post on Sunday, following anti-ICE activists blocking Los Angeles freeways, “I will soon reintroduce legislation to make blocking a highway intentionally a federal crime. First Hamas supporters, now illegals and their enablers, are stopping traffic. To make America safe again, we must have law and order.”