Angelenos March For Palestinian Rights In Westwood

LOS ANGELES, CA —Several hundred people hit the streets in the Westwood area Saturday to demonstrate in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The demonstration was dubbed "Nakba 73: Resistance Until Liberation" and took place on Wilshire Boulevard at the Federal Building. The protest to "Save Sheikh Jarrah" had already drawn dozens by 11 a.m. The area around the protest route also already drawn heavy police presence by mid-morning.

Protestors planned to gather outside the Consulate General of Israel on the 11000 block of Wilshire Boulevard at noon to march around the area, but footage posted to Twitter showed the property blocked off by officers. Participants were reporting on Twitter that police had closed several areas around the planned march route, delaying the event.

The Los Angeles Police Department urged drivers to avoid Wilshire Boulevard between Veteran Avenue and Westgate Avenue in the Westwood area around noon, the City News Service reported. Traffic delays were expected.

Organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement, it was one of several events that unfolded around the nation this weekend.

Nakba commemorates the date in 1948 when "over half of the Palestinian population was displaced from their homelands" for the establishment of Israel, organizers said.

Demonstrators chanted and held signs saying "Free Palestine" and "End All U.S. Aid to Israel."

Police reported no issues at the protest as of 2:15 p.m., according to Officer Norma Eisenman of the Los Angeles Police Department, but traffic was heavily affected in the area.

"The area of Wilshire Blvd near the 405 [Freeway] is very congested due to large protest activity currently underway. Avoid the area if possible for the next few hours due to multiple street closures," the LAPD tweeted at 2:24 p.m.

The deadliest fighting in recent years in Israel continued Saturday, with Israel launching airstrikes on Gaza and Hamas retaliating with missiles launched toward Tel Aviv.

An Israeli airstrike on Saturday destroyed a building that houses offices for Al Jazeera and The Associated Press, among other media outlets.

#FreePalaestine UPDATE: Los Angeles showing up in solidarity. We fight together. pic.twitter.com/88CC3RWozd
— alaa (@stanhijabi) May 15, 2021

On Monday, another "Free Palestine" demonstration took place in San Jose, where more than 200 protestors marched.

In recent months, several Israeli court rulings have ordered the forced expulsion of many Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem, including the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, and the handover of those properties to Israeli settler organizations, according to the United Nations.

Tensions were heightened over the last week in Sheikh Jarrah following a legal challenge by the Nahalat Shimon settler organization, which resulted in court-ordered expulsions of eight Palestinian families, according to the UN.

Bay City News and the City News Service contributed to this report.