Protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza made their presence known at San Francisco International Airport early Wednesday morning, but didn't manage to throw a wrench in the airport's flight schedules. By 8:30 a.m., demonstrators, part of a group called Critical Resistance, were holding a banner emblazoned with "Stop the World for Gaza" while blocking the TSA security lines at the International Terminal, according to KTVU.
Chaos was seemingly avoided although the protest activity disrupted airport operations, with entry to the TSA checkpoints leading to the A and G gates nearly getting blocked. Despite this, "the terminal remains open," SFO airport posted on X, with The Chronicle reporting, travelers were being rerouted around the protesters. Activists had locked arms, forming human chains at key passageways and even took over car traffic initially, bringing it to a stop on the drop-off loop outside the terminal, as witnessed by The Chronicle.
SFO officials directed arriving passengers to use the "Kiss and Fly" lot and catch the Airtrain to the terminal and recommended travelers using taxis or rideshare services to opt for domestic terminals drop-off and pick-up points. Airport spokesperson Doug Yakel confirmed that flights were departing on time and that the BART service to SFO remained unaffected by the disturbance, both according to statements obtained by SFist and KTVU.
The scene at the airport escalated by around 10 a.m. with the arrival of police, equipped with buses and tow trucks, preparing to clear the blockade. The officers had not made any arrests at the point when SFO had updated its situation to the public. This protest follows a similar action that took place on December 27, simultaneously at JFK Airport in New York and at LAX, signaling a heightening in both frequency and intensity of demonstrations supporting Gaza's plight.
