Protesters calling for Gaza ceasefire shut down Golden Gate Bridge

Protesters demanding an end to the Israel-Gaza conflict forced the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to shut down for five hours on Monday, a disturbance that led to more than 20 arrests.

Prominently featured in the demonstration was a "stop the world for Gaza" sign, according to NBC News. The disturbance also saw participants chain themselves together to block traffic. It comes as other demonstrations broke out in several major cities across the country. 

One organizer for the San Francisco event claimed they were also calling for the United States to stop funding Israel and providing it with weapons.

"A lot of the money that is going from individuals who are working really hard, we don't want that money going to Israel anymore," protest spokesperson Riley Hugo told NBC Bay Area.

The protest began at 7:30 a.m. PDT, and the bridge was reopened by 12:15 p.m. PDT, according to the California Highway Patrol. Travel on both sides of the bridge was closed during that time, and authorities indicated they would impound several cars that were blocking the traffic as part of the demonstration.

The 26 people who were arrested face charges of conspiracy, according to CHP Golden Gate Bridge Chief Don Goodbrand. Some face vehicle code violations and charges of false imprisonment for trapping people in their cars.

"You can protest any which way you want. But it is unlawful to block a roadway and to prevent people from getting to work, emergency personnel from getting to help people. You can't do it," Goodbrand said. 

Roughly 40 people have also been arrested in Chicago, after a group of pro-Gaza protesters blocked traffic leading into the Chicago-O'Hare airport. The demonstrators had locked themselves together through pipes over their arms, and said the protest day was chosen to coincide with Tax Day.

The New York Police Department, moreover, said it is arresting protesters who blocked traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge, while authorities in Seattle said that a group of protesters blocked an expressway at its Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

There were also protests in Oakland, Calif., where all northbound lanes of the Interstate 880 were blocked for hours.