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‘Block the Boat’ Protests Continue Against Israeli Container Ship at Port of Vancouver
by Dion J. Pierre
‘Block the Boat’ protestors in Vancouver on June 8, 2021. Photo: Twitter screenshot
Protestors supporting the movement to boycott Israel continued a days-long campaign to prevent an Israeli-owned container ship from docking, in a so-called “Block the Boat” rally on Tuesday at the Port of Vancouver.
The Vancouver demonstration against a vessel owned by ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, which is based in Haifa, followed a similar protest in Oakland on June 4 — where demonstrators prevented the Volans container ship from unloading at the Port of Oakland.
On Twitter, the account of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC), which is organizing the efforts, posted photographs of people picketing at and attempting to block the road leading from the Port of Vancouver. The protest lasted for three hours before disbanding at 6pm, according to an hour-by-hour account shared by an attendee on Twitter.
Amazing photos from #BlockTheBoat Vancouver where hundreds of community members successfully blocked the port entrance. If you are near Vancouver, sign up for text alerts (833-590-1987) as more ZIM ships are headed your way! #BDS #EndIsraeliApartheid pic.twitter.com/ODKtucaMKf
— AROC #FreePalestine (@AROCBayArea) June 9, 2021
On Sunday, a “Block the Boat” group protested against ZIM at the Port of New York/New Jersey, with similar events taking place Tuesday at a ZIM facility in Detroit and Wednesday at the firm’s Staten Island office.
ZIM has not responded to multiple Algemeiner requests for comment.
On June 2, a company spokesman told the outlet Middle East Eye that its container ship had failed to unload its cargo in Oakland due to “operational constraints and long delays,” without mentioning the reason.
“Our goal is to impact apartheid Israel politically and economically by disrupting international commerce from the ZIM shipping line,” AROC’s executive director Lara Kiswani told the London-based outlet.
