Protest halts traffic on Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia

Protesters in support of Palestinians were demanding an end to all U.S. aid to Israel and an immediate ceasefire.

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

A protest at the base of the Ben Franklin Bridge briefly halted traffic Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.

The rally started at City Hall, moved to the bridge, and then circled back to the city’s Old City neighborhood.

Protesters in support of Palestinians were demanding an end to all U.S. aid to Israel and an immediate ceasefire.

  • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

Multiple Philadelphia-based organizations attended the demonstration to show support.

“As we walked along the streets, we saw people coming out of stores, out of their apartments, you know, waving flags and putting peace signs up,” said Sultan Smalley of Northeast Philadelphia. “People see that there’s momentum, that they’re not alone, everyone is feeling the same way as them. And also causing disruption through civil disobedience, so when we went to the bridge and we shut that down.”

Traffic on the bridge was halted for about 30 minutes.

Never miss a moment with the WHYY Listen App!

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal