Anti-Israel Protest Groups Sued over Washington, D.C. Traffic Blockage
“Protestors may speak loudly, they may be rude, they may shock audiences, but they cease being protestors when they use force to block roads full of bystanders trapped in their vehicles.”
In September of last year we reported on a class action lawsuit filed as a result of traffic disruptions that occurred at Chicago’s O’Hare airport on April 15, 2024: Anti-Israel Activists Hit With Class Action Lawsuit Over Chicago O’Hare Airport Blockade:
A group of anti-Israel activists has been sued over the Chicago O’Hare airport blockade that left thousands of motorists trapped in their cars earlier this year.
Apparently, they thought that wreaking havoc with everyday Americans’ travel plans would drum up support to “free Palestine.”
Narrator: Every time a "pro-Palestinian" blocks a road, hundreds of Americans become pro-Israel https://t.co/brQb5nYAj9
— William A. Jacobson (@wajacobson) April 15, 2024
But the travelers who had to abandon their cars and drag their luggage to the airport so they wouldn’t miss their flights weren’t won over.
They were furious:
A pro-Palestine mob is blocking the road to O'Hare International Airport, forcing angry passengers to ditch their cars. pic.twitter.com/tPIe4TY9Ne
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 15, 2024
Earlier this week, the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (HLLI) announced a class action lawsuit against the activists on behalf of the victims of the nearly three-hour traffic stoppage. They seek redress for their client, Christopher Manhart—and everyone else stuck in their cars that day. Manhart missed his flight and important meetings because of the blockade, according to the lawsuit.
Interestingly, Chicago O’Hare wasn’t the only location targeted on April 15 of last year, as we reported. Pro-Palestinian protestors stopped traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge, I-880 in Oakland, downtown Philadelphia, San Antonio, and even the entrances to Lockheed-Martin headquarters.
And, earlier that month on, on April 1, 2024, anti-Israel protestors stopped traffic in Washington, D.C. And now the same group that sued of the Chicago O’Hare stoppage, the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (HLLI), is also suing over the D.C. blockage:
We just filed a lawsuit against the organizations and individuals who illegally blocked traffic in a pro-Hamas traffic blockade. pic.twitter.com/Mf0QPKLBhl
— Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (@HamLincLaw) January 31, 2025
From HLLI’s January 31, 2025 press release: HLLI Sues Jewish Voice for Peace and Other Anti-Israel Activists Over Traffic Blockades in Washington, D.C.:
The Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (HLLI) filed a lawsuit today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia concerning the February 1, 2024 blockade of several intersections leading into Washington, D.C. This was a coordinated effort by several groups demonstrating against the existence of the state of Israel.
HLLl’s client, Dan Faoro, was among the victims. He was stuck in his car for close to an hour, with no idea when he would be able to continue his commute into work. He eventually navigated out of traffic and returned home. Also, other travelers were forced to miss work or other appointments. Police arrested 23 activists and removed the blockades, eventually allowing Faoro to navigate out of traffic and return home.
The client brings his complaint as a class action on behalf of himself and thousands of others falsely imprisoned in their cars or otherwise displaced by the blockade. The case defends the rights of citizens unlawfully impeded by anti-Israel, pro-Hamas groups engaging in illegal acts of obstruction rather than peaceful protest. HLLl’s legal team seeks damages and a court injunction to prevent future disruptions like this.
The suit names several defendants, including:
- Jewish Voice for Peace, Inc. d/b/a Occupation Free DC
- Dissenters
- WESPAC Foundation, Inc.
- Palestinian Youth Movement
- Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, Inc.
- Dornethia “Nee Nee” Taylor
- Party of Socialism and Liberation
- Brian Becker
- Maryland2Palestine
- Hannah Shraim
- 23 John and Jane Does
HLLI may name additional defendants as the lawsuit progresses.
Some of the individuals who blocked traffic chained themselves together in the middle of highways to blockade traffic, and others used PVC piping attached over their arms to form human chains to further block roads.
Many of the individuals held signs that said, “Free Palestine” or “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Must be Free”, and chanted slogans including ”Free Free Palestine”, “The Occupation Has Got to Go”, “We Don’t Want No Jewish State”, and “If We Don’t Get It, Shut It Down!”
The press release also includes a statement from HLLI President Anna St. John:
Unlawful traffic blockades that trap innocent citizens in their cars are not a form of protest-they are acts of aggression. We are determined to hold accountable those who use intimidation and obstruction to push their agenda, and we will fight to protect the rights of Americans who were unjustly targeted by these disruptive, antisemitic actions.
We reached out to HLLI to see if they had anything to add and Ms. St. John stated simply: “These unlawful traffic blockades were deliberate, coordinated efforts to create chaos. The individuals and organizations behind them must be held accountable for their actions.”
You can review the Complaint here, and at the bottom of this post. The key opening paragraph of the Complaint states as follows:
Americans rightly celebrate their rights to speak and protest. But this right does not extend to imprisoning motorists in their vehicles. As the Supreme Court has said, “The freedom of association protected by the First Amendment does not extend to joining with others for the purpose of depriving third parties of their lawful rights.” Protestors may speak loudly, they may be rude, they may shock audiences, but they cease being protestors when they use force to block roads full of bystanders trapped in their vehicles. This creates a massive public nuisance and puts thousands of individuals at risk. The Defendants did this in a misguided effort to extort political change, and by doing so harmed thousands of ordinary people. Plaintiff Faoro was among those victimized, and he demands damages on behalf of himself and thousands of others wronged by the Defendants on February 1, 2024, when they conspired to block traffic at several key intersections leading into Washington, D.C. Plaintiff Faoro also seeks an injunction to preclude Defendants from repeating this harmful public nuisance.
I remember when this happened and was thinking I wish someone would sue. Well, now they have. The case has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and is captioned Faoro v. Jewish Voice for Peace, Inc. (D.D.C. 1:25-cv-00289). No judge has been assigned to the case yet, but we’ll follow along and report on the outcome or if there are happenings of note as the case proceeds.
The previous case regarding the Chicago O’Hare blockage, Manhart v. AJP Education Foundation, Inc. (N.D. Ill. 1:24-cv-8209) is just beginning despite being filed in September, with the Plaintiff filing a “Second Amended” Complaint on January 29, 2025.
We can expect the defendants to deny any legal liability and to defend the case vigorously, as they are in the Chicago case. We’ll follow this case as well and fill you in on events as they occur.
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Comments
Run. Them. TF. OVER
On the horn and hammer down.
.
Weren’t they doing this nonsense up in Seattle on I5 until one got steamrolled by a truck and then they stopped?
Didn’t hear about that. Got any more info or a link on it?
Not a truck. Just a car.
Isn’t the use of force, even lethal force, authorized when one is being illegally imprisoned/detained, arrested, or even kidnapped?
Depends on ability, opportunity, jeopardy. C’mon, Milhouse, where ya at? Tell us how terrible, wrong and stupid we are.
Lethal force is authorized only when it’s proportionate to the force used against one. So unless the blocked drivers are in reasonable fear of death or serious injury, lethal force would not be justified.
In my opinion, which I’ve been posting publicly since the 1980s, it should be the case that anyone who is going about his lawful business and is being deliberately obstructed should be allowed to proceed as if the obstruction were not there, and if those who are obstructing him die as a result that should be their problem, not his. This would not be a matter of self-defense, but simply of exercising ones right to go about ones lawful business. And it would apply equally to protesters, union picketers, or anyone else.
But unfortunately this is not currently the law.
From the liver to the knee…
Purge from “sea to shining sea”.
Doing so with illegals might save money.
Bankrupt them just like what was done with the Klan. These human rights pretenders cause more damage.
Find the deep pockets funding them, and bankrupt them. Is there a case to charge them with criminal conspiracy for the unlawful detention?
Someone is shoveling money at these people so they can show up for this stuff. Who is it? I also think that this might be a federal crime and so all the cars they drive to get there can be seized. A new administration might not treat these idiot’s so kindly.
“A Chinese grad student at UCLA who has been leading pro Hamas rallies on campus has been arrested.
Liu Lijun’s student VISA has been cancelled.”
I keep seeing twit posts on this, but haven’t found any source for the claim. If you have it, I’d appreciate seeing it.
Use the left favorite bludgeon on them the ICC.
“I remember when this happened and was thinking I wish someone would sue.”
I remember when this happened and was thinking I wish someone would run them over. Do it a couple of times and that would be the end to these “protests”.
Notice they never try this stuff outside of their blue shithole cities?
Either the issue of ‘protests’ morphing into unlawful acts/deprivation of rights of others can be reasonably addressed through judicial process or it will eventually be addressed unreasonably via an ‘extra judicial’ process. Probably a much better idea for everyone if it can be dealt with in courts with heavy fines, jail time and awards of damages but if not….sooner or later somebody is gonna go off on these goons right there on the street.
It happened during the Antifa riots. Remember the guy whose car was surrounded. One of the rioters even had a long gun. The driver shot and killed him, another protestor fired at his vehicle as he sped away. He may have been convicted for the shooting, something I failed to understand. Unlawfully imprisoned by an armed mob, and he gets convicted for defending himself in a situation in which anyone with any sense would have been in fear of their lives.
Clown world.
I am referring to the eco/climate morons who stage a road block to disrupt commerce as opposed to the antifa goons. More of a.situation of blocking morning commuter traffic by sitting in the roadway and a couple dozen commuters get out, drag their ass out of the road using more vigorous methods each iteration until the road remains unobstructed. Antifa/BLM rioters are, IMO, a separate category and threat level with a different ROE.
I would be glad to join the suit if Hamilton Lincoln expands their it to San Francisco. I was returning home from Florida to SF on that day and was stuck in the Park Presidio tunnel for an hour because of the Golden Gate Bridge blockage. Once freed of the tunnel I had to reroute south and east across the Bay Bridge and Richmond Bridge. Altogether it added 3 hours to my journey.
As for damages- hourly rate average times number of hours times number of people for starters. Then add specific lost earnings. Add transportation costs (car idling, extra routes to escape. ).
Then add emotional injury: worry about lost jobs, kids not being picked up from school/ daycare.
The large numbers of people impacted should mean a very large sum being fought over.
Discovery might get interesting with possibly uncovering funding sources that have deep pockets.
Thanks for this info, Professor. Also, am looking forward to deportations of all the people with student visas doing the agitating.