FAIRFIELD – Fourteen protestors were arrested after they blocked gates at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield Thursday morning, alleging that the base serves as a depot to supply weapons to Israel in its war against Hamas.
About 140 protesters began arriving at the base entrances at 6 a.m. with signs reading “Ceasefire” and “Stop Sending Weapons.” The group laid out white bundles smeared with red paint to symbolize wrapped dead bodies.
The arrests did not begin until several protesters blocked the roadway entering the base, said activist Ann Johnson, who participated in the protest.
“Our goal was to stop the functioning of the base even though it's only for a few hours or a day because we believe that the base is committing immoral acts,” Johnson said.
The protest was organized by a coalition of interfaith and community groups in collaboration with the feminist anti-war organization Code Pink. According to protestors, approximately 100 participants gathered at the north gate with around 40 more protestors at another gate of the base.
Participants of the blockade delivered a letter addressed to Brig. Gen. Derek Salmi, who commands air operations at Travis, demanding that he end weapons shipments to Israel.
Fourteen of the protesters were arrested for unlawful assembly by Fairfield police and Solano County Sheriff’s deputies but were released later in the afternoon.
One of the first protesters to be released was Martha Hubert of San Francisco. She said that she has worked with Code Pink and other peace and justice groups for many years. “We are all here for the same reason, to demand a ceasefire and to get them to stop sending arms to Israel and stop being complicit with this disastrous Israeli Government,” she said at a press conference outside the Solano County jail.
Participants in the protest came from cities across the Bay Area and the wider Northern California region. Some traveled from as far south as Sata Cruz to demand an end to U.S. military support of Israel.
Brian Fry, part of a Methodist community in Nevada County, said that members of the group had previously organized a protest at Beale Air Force Base in Yuba County and they later learned that military aid shipments are likely conducted through Travis Air Force Base.
“The United States is the only place in the world that has enough leverage to actually change the policies of Israel,” Fry said. “Biden can talk about, ‘We want you to be kinder this weekend for civilians’ and so on, he can say all that stuff he wants, but it doesn't mean anything until the United States has refused to support and arm [Israel] so they can’t continue doing that.”
The war in the Gaza Strip has gone on for over three months since Hamas, which governs Gaza, attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 Isralis and taking approximately 250 people hostage. More than 21,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in the war.
The United Nations has warned that the 2.2 million people living in Gaza are facing a crisis of food insecurity while nearly 600,000 people face famine conditions.
On Dec. 22, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to allow more aid to reach civilians in Gaza. The resolution called for “humanitarian pauses” but it did not call for a ceasefire due to U.S. opposition. Since the resolution, Israeli strikes have continued in Gaza, making it difficult for humanitarian organizations to distribute food aid.
Since Israel’s offensive began, 153 Israeli troops have been killed as of Dec. 24.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the gate locations and the number of protesters arrested.
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