We've seen a lot of anti-Israel protesters. We saw some who stormed a New York City store because it had flyers of the kidnapped Israelis out front, and police had to protect the building and the people. But the folks who stormed into the Port of Oakland managed to do something that everyone should find more than a little troubling. 

Somehow they were able to get through a fence and onto the grounds of the port area. At least three of them got onto the ladder for the U.S. Ready Reserve Force roll-on/roll-off vessel MV Cape Orlando, thinking it was leaving to pick up weapons to take to Israel. Some reports said they locked themselves to the ladder while a couple of hundred others blocked Berth 20, where the ship was moored. 

Ready Reserve ships are used to help deploy military forces or equipment and are managed by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration. They are not manned by military personnel. 

But you had people waving a foreign flag, blockading a U.S. ship for hours while a Coast Guard negotiator tried to reason with the people on the rope. 

Here you can even listen to them chanting for the Intifada. 

Protesters at the Port of Oakland have stopped a military vessel they heard was ultimately headed to Israel with American weapons.

The ship was about to leave when dozens ran towards it and grabbed its ropes.

Three ppl have been clinging to the ship’s ladder for over 5 hours pic.twitter.com/jV9EPPf4yd

— Dena Takruri (@Dena) November 3, 2023

Activists block US arms shipment heading to Israel

Protesters at the #PortOfOakland, California, are blocking a US ship that is due to carry military weapons to Israel. #StandWithPalestine pic.twitter.com/2QPZr1FEr8

— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) November 3, 2023

This should concern us all when such people are allowed to get this close to such a ship. They shouldn't have even been able to get into the port, much less onto the vessel. Where was the port security?

Various leftist accounts on X were calling on people to come down to the Port and help block the ship, so more people arrived during the morning on Friday. 

Oakland Police didn't arrest anyone. Is that any surprise? But the U.S. Coast Guard detained at least three people and said they were investigating the actions. One has to wonder if there may have been inside help at the port that helped them get in, and that led them to believe that the ship was involved in such a mission. 

The group behind the protests, the Arab Resource Organizing Center, released a statement calling on other communities to be on the alert for such ships, which is basically encouraging similar actions elsewhere. So paging the FBI -- maybe you want to look into such actions rather than bothering parents at school board meetings? 

The protesters weren't successful in stopping the ship, as its activities indicate it has in fact sailed on whatever its mission is. So the activists failed. But it wasn't even clear that it was picking up weapons for Israel in any event. 

Chances that any of these people will face any real prosecution for interfering with the sailing of a U.S. Ready Reserve ship? 

I wouldn't bet on it. But this is truly troubling action if U.S. actions can be so easily interfered with by people who are supportive of a foreign entity that is hostile to this nation.