The Stop ZIM Action Committee thanks participants and supporters of the Zim Shanghai blockade on Saturday, September 27, and salutes ILWU Local 10 longshore workers for honoring the picket lines.

The Stop ZIM Action Committee thanks participants and supporters of the Zim Shanghai blockade on Saturday, September 27, and salutes ILWU Local 10 longshore workers for honoring the picket lines.

September 29, 2014

In another resounding victory for Palestine solidarity, labor, Palestine solidarity and community activists successfully picketed the Israeli-owned container ship Zim Shanghai on Saturday, September 27th at the Port of Oakland. ILWU Local 10 longshore workers refused to cross the picket line and sent the ship back to sea with all its cargo still on board.

The Zim Shanghai arrived at the Port of Oakland early Saturday morning, docking at Stevedore Services of America (SSA) at 5:16am. Following in the tradition of the 2010 labor/community picket protesting the Israeli attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and the August 2014 action against the Zim Piraeus initiated by the Block the Boat coalition, the Stop ZIM Action Committee organized pickets of the ZIM ship during two work shifts at SSA, which ILWU Local 10 longshore workers respected.

Changing its departure time and itinerary, the Zim Shanghai, originally scheduled to leave at 1:00pm for Vostochnyy, Russia, instead left at midnight for the Port of Long Beach, most likely to try and unload its Oakland cargo in Los Angeles to be trucked back up to Oakland at considerable expense.

The Stop ZIM Action Committee would like to express its gratitude to all the organizations and individuals who gave so generously of their time and energy, publicized the event to their networks, sent messages of support, endorsed the picket and brought friends and family to the picket line. Most importantly, we salute the longshore workers of ILWU Local 10, who stood aside, gave up a day's pay and respected the picket lines we put up.

We want to thank everyone who participated in this Saturday’s peaceful direct action and we hope this will lead to more actions of this kind in Oakland, other ports in the West and East Coasts, and worldwide.

Stop ZIM Action Committee

--------------------------------------------------

The Stop ZIM Action Committee is comprised of labor, Palestine solidarity and community activists united to end the siege of Gaza by picketing vessels of the Israeli Zim Lines