Hundreds of protesters demand cease-fire in Gaza as Biden arrives for S.F.’s APEC
Jordan Parker, Megan Fan Munce, Daniel Lempres
Nov. 14, 2023 Updated: Nov. 15, 2023 12:57 a.m. (SFChroncile.com)
More than a thousand protesters beat drums and chanted their support for a cease-fire in Gaza as they marched their way through downtown San Francisco to a fundraiser being held for President Biden.
By 5 p.m. a large crowd had gathered near the intersection of Powell and Market streets, forcing Muni buses to temporarily reroute away from the area. Protesters chanted “cease-fire now” and “Genocidal Joe, he must go.” Some attendees scaled the scaffolding at 1 Powell Street to wave large Palestinian flags above the crowd, while dozens of others held up signs saying “end all U.S. aid to Israel.”
The crowd stood in front of the Powell Street cable car turnaround to listen to speakers, many of whom took aim at Biden and accused him of being complicit in Palestinian deaths.
“It is obscene that in this very city that we have people sleeping in the street when billions is sent to murder people with weapons,” San Francisco resident Jay Lyon, 71, told the Chronicle from his spot in the crowd. “I am a Jew and I have never been prouder than I am now. So many Jews hate the occupation, we are not Zionists. We hate the fact that Zionists pretend that all the Jews in the world are on their side. The Jewish religion honors justice. And Zionism is not justice.” CHP was briefly surrounded by protestors during a rally demanding a ceasefire of the ongoing Israeli-Palestine conflict, as the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Week (APEC) is underway in San Francisco, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. Video: Stephen Lam / the Chronicle
After about an hour of speeches, the crowd began to march north, taking up three blocks at a time as they made their way toward a fundraiser for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris being held at The Merchants Exchange Building on California Street.
On the way, the crowd came to a stand-off with several police motorcycles and California Highway Patrol SUVs. Protesters crowded into the intersection of Kearney and Bush streets, chanting “free Palestine” as they refused to let the law enforcement vehicles pass. The crowd cheered as police eventually backed away, allowing them to continue north toward the fundraiser.
Inside the event, top donors and local politicians such as Mayor London Breed mingled and listened to Biden as he listed off his accomplishments and criticized former President Donald Trump. But outside, demonstrators stopped to chant from halfway down the block — as close as San Francisco police and Secret Service would let them get.
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By that point, Greg Odin, 34, had begun to lose his voice, but continued chanting with the crowd as they eventually turned south on Montgomery Street to head back toward Market and Powell. Odin said APEC was an opportunity for demonstrators to show world leaders “what S.F. can do.”
“I’ll keep yelling ‘cease-fire now’ as long as I can,” he said. “They shouldn’t be here, they should be stopping these crimes.”
The night before Tuesday’s protest, Odin was in Oakland alongside several hundred others who occupied the federal building to call for a cease-fire. On Sunday, pro-Palestinian marchers combine with other groups opposing APEC, amassing a crowd of thousands. Protesters plan to gather again near the intersection of Powell and Market on Wednesday morning to attempt to block business leaders and foreign dignitaries.
Maya Montez, 29, said this was her third time protesting since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7. Both she and her San Francisco roommate called out of work to be able to come to the protest.
“It’s not enough to stay home with what’s happening,” Montez said. “This feels more important.”
Reach Jordan Parker, Megan Fan Munce and Daniel Lempres: jordan.parker@sfchronicle.com, megan.munce@sfchronicle.com, daniel.lempres@sfchronicle.com
Written By Jordan Parker
Jordan Parker is a breaking news reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. He graduated from Sacramento State University in May 2022 with a degree in journalism. During his time there, he spent three years as a reporter and editor for the university’s award-winning student newspaper, The State Hornet. He spent his senior year of college serving as The Hornet’s first Black editor in chief, leading the organization to two Pacemaker awards and several other national honors from the Associated Collegiate Press. When he’s not chasing down a story, he likes watching movies, traveling and trying new restaurants.
Written By Megan Fan Munce
Megan Fan Munce is a reporter who joined the San Francisco Chronicle as part of the two-year Hearst Journalism Fellowship, spending her first year of the program at the Houston Chronicle.
Munce grew up in San Jose before attending Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, graduating with a B.S. and M.S. in journalism and a second major in political science.
She previously worked as an audience engagement fellow and a reporting fellow at the Texas Tribune, as well as an audience intelligence intern for KQED.
Written By Daniel Lempres
Daniel Lempres is a criminal justice reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle. Before joining the Chronicle in 2023, he worked as a reporter for the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley, where he focused on long term investigations in collaboration with outlets like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and S.F. Chronicle.VIEW COMMENTS
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