Protesters block traffic in Center City, calling for an end to war in Gaza as part of national A15 demonstrations

The Philadelphia Police Department reported 67 arrests.

The IRS offices at 30th and Market Street. Protesters held an action outside the building to protest the war in Gaza.Read moreTYGER WILLIAMS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Updated April 15, 2024, 3:18 p.m. ET

Published April 15, 2024, 9:41 a.m. ET

Dozens of protesters blocked traffic across Center City Monday morning during a spate of coordinated demonstrations that called for an end to the war in Gaza.

The demonstrations began at 8:15 a.m., when dozens of protesters disrupted rush hour traffic as they waved Palestinian flags during a teach-in. Simultaneously, another group led a funeral procession of cars up I-95, while a third marched near City Hall, stopping at various locations to call attention to connections between Philadelphia’s economy and Israel’s occupation in Gaza.

The Philadelphia Police Department confirmed that 67 people were arrested for obstruction of highway during the morning protests. Officers issued civil citations to 41 demonstrators, who were then released from custody, said Sgt. Eric Gripp, a department spokesperson.

The Pennsylvania State Police, which arrested 26 protesters, did not immediately return a request for comment. Gripp added that 19 vehicles associated with the protesters were towed.

Organizers said the actions were part of A15, a global campaign calling on U.S. officials to stop supplying arms to Israel and end the taxpayer-funded siege in the Gaza Strip. The protests — staged on Tax Day in the United States — sought to disrupt transportation and trade at “choke points” worldwide, temporarily shutting down a major highway in Oakland, Calif.; ports in Australia; and traffic near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, among other demonstrations.

In Philadelphia, protesters singled out Pennsylvania’s purchase of Israeli bonds and the Philadelphia offices of a U.S-contracted weapons manufacturer as examples of the state’s stake in Israel’s siege.

“Philadelphians deserve jobs and an economy that do not rely on the U.S war machine and endless war,” said Samantha Rise, an organizer with Philadelphia Palestine Coalition who helped plan the march.

At the IRS building, protesters alleged that Philadelphia sends more than $23.6 million federal tax dollars to Israel annually, based on calculations by the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights. They waved banners that tabulated what that money could fund instead, including 2,812 affordable housing units, 9.4 million free SEPTA rides, and 864,880 free school lunches, among other things.

“We believe we should be funding things that support the people of Philadelphia … things that will actually make our city safer,” said Hannah Zellman, who helped organized the demonstration.

The protests come amid sustained international pressure on Israel over its military operation in Gaza and on the heels of an unprecedented attack from Iran over the weekend. About 1,200 people were killed during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel, and Israeli officials believe Hamas still holds a little over half of the 253 hostages abducted that day.

Since then, Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed over 33,700 people in Gaza, according to figures provided by the Gaza health ministry. Millions have been displaced from their homes and now face famine, aid officials say, while bombing has left much of the strip’s infrastructure in ruins.

During the teach-in, several cars snaked up I-95 in a funeral procession meant to highlight the growing death toll in Gaza. Zellman said the route was chosen in alignment with the protest’s overarching goal: “To block the flow of capital.”

Organizers said the demonstration at the IRS building started to disperse around 9 a.m. when police began arresting protesters. When The Inquirer arrived on the scene around 9:20, several stragglers shouted “See you next time!” as a police van drove up Market Street from the bridge.

“It was a peaceful protest,” said Zellman. “Our goal wasn’t to get arrested, but to share info. Folks pulled off a beautiful acton.”

Meanwhile, a third group of protesters had coalesced around the Octavius Catto statue on the north side of City Hall to call on City Council to reintroduce a resolution calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza with stronger language around divestment. Rise said the demonstrators banged pots and pans in the building’s atrium.

“We wanted to make our message clear,” Rise said.

From there, the group — which Rise said swelled to around 200 people at its peak — marched to Vine and Broad Streets, where Rise said they blocked various Interstate 676 ramps before heading to the corporate headquarters of weapons manufacturer Day & Zimmermann at 1500 Spring Garden St. The company, organizers allege, makes many of the weapons used in attacks in Gaza by the Israeli Defense Forces.

Later, protesters made stops at the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Parkway Central branch and the Comcast Center before heading back to City Hall, reiterating calls for more city services funding. Rise said police followed the marchers until the event ended around 11 a.m.

“There were people who were frustrated about not being able to get to work, but we saw many, many more people honking in solidarity, giving us high-fives, taking fliers,” said Rise. “I think Philadelphia has profound solidarity with the Palestinian people.”