518 Valencia
San Francisco
Five years ago, the Bay Area achieved one of the most successful BDS victories against apartheid Israel in US history! In 2014 we stopped the Israeli-owned ZIM shipping line from docking at the Port of Oakland for 3 consecutive months, and it hasn’t returned since!
Join us to celebrate the historic and decisive Block the Boat victory as a major contribution to all movements for social and economic justice!
Block the Boat was part of a sustained organizing effort to protest Israel’s ongoing occupation, war on Gaza, and settler-violence against Palestinians. The campaign was organized by Block the Boat (BTB), an AROC-led coalition made up of a diverse range of Bay Area community organizations and activists working in close partnership with members of ILWU Local 10, the union which represents dock workers at the Port of Oakland. The coalition built on the worldwide Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement to isolate Israel politically, culturally, and economically.
In addition to being the 5th anniversary of Block the Boat, 2019 marks the first year that Urban Shield, the weapons expo and war games training, will not be taking place—because the Stop Urban Shield coalition successfully ended it! Urban Shield was the largest SWAT training in the world, with Israeli police units regularly participating in it. ZIM is the largest shipping company in Israel, and the 10th largest in the world. Our victories make clear to the world that our communities in the Bay Area will not welcome ZIM or any other business that supports apartheid, repression, anti-Arab and Muslim racism, or militarism.
Now more than ever we must be learning from lessons of the past, and looking to ongoing models of successful organizing and movement building. Come learn more about what made the success of Block the Boat possible, its impact, and ways we can build on it today.