Several anti-Israel organizations that formed an illegal blockade across the highway leading to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport are facing a class action lawsuit from travelers who were trapped in the traffic jam.
Left-wing groups, including the Tides Center—a George Soros-funded dark money network—Community Justice Exchange, and National Students for Justice in Palestine, among others, coordinated a "multi-city economic blockade" on April 15 targeting major airports, highways, and bridges. In one instance, activists shut down access to O’Hare, backing up traffic and forcing some travelers to walk with their luggage to the airport.
Keffiyeh-clad activists handcuffed themselves, linked arms with drain pipes, and later sat side-by-side on Interstate 190 leading to the Chicago airport. The Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute filed a lawsuit on Monday against the organizers for "imprisoning" thousands of travelers in vehicles on their way to O’Hare, according to the complaint.
"All traffic into the airport stopped for almost three hours because of the blockade. People missed flights and downstream commitments. Vacations, interviews, weddings, and other important lifetime events were cast aside as the activists forced the public to participate in their demonstration by falsely imprisoning them," the complaint says. "These innocent Americans were dragged into the conflict because the Defendants and foreign terrorist organization Hamas have decided a propaganda offensive in America is their best weapon against Israel."
Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute cofounder and litigation director Ted Frank told the Washington Free Beacon the First Amendment does not protect criminal activity.
"These sorts of abusive roadblocking tactics have been used with impunity over the last few years, and the organizations seem to think that they can do that too," Frank said.
"But when you injure people, when you commit torts against individual people, there’s not just criminal enforcement, but also civil enforcement," he added. "We hope that this lawsuit vindicates that principle, vindicates the rights of the people who were adversely affected, encourages other such lawsuits, and discourages such tactics in the future."
Police arrested 40 protesters in the O’Hare blockade. Thanks to a "bail and legal defense fund" organized by A15 Action and Community Justice Exchange, a Tides project, the defendants received bail money and legal assistance. The online fundraiser was hosted by ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s primary fundraising platform, which earns nearly 4 percent of each contribution.
Other activist groups named in the lawsuit include Jewish Voice for Peace, the WESPAC Foundation, Dissenters, the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, and the AJP Education Foundation, also known as American Muslims for Palestine. Four people "directly involved in orchestrating or promoting the blockade" were also named: Jinan Chehade, Superior Murphy, Simone Tucker, and Rifqa Falaneh.
"On this Tax Day, when millions are paying taxes which fund the ongoing U.S and Israeli bombardment of Gaza, protesters seek to take dramatic action," Chicago Dissenters, one of the local groups involved, wrote in an April Instagram post. "O’Hare International Airport is one of the largest in the country, and there will be NO business as usual while Palestinians suffer at the hands of American funded bombing by Israel."
Similar protests occurred in other cities, as well. In San Francisco, anti-Israel protesters held up traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge, and in nearby Oakland, activists blocked all lanes on Interstate 880. Dozens also stopped traffic in Philadelphia’s Center City.
Protesters aimed to disrupt economic "choke points" to maximize financial disruption, according to A15 Action, which coordinated the worldwide blockades. Organizers advised activists to refrain from engaging with police and promised that Community Justice Exchange would provide "money bail, court fees and fines" and other legal services upon arrest.
None of the organizations named in the lawsuit responded to requests for comment.