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"Block the Boat" Would Hurt Seattle, Not Israel

(Seattle Times) Editorial - Over six days this month, activists with the "Block the Boat" campaign, part of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel, targeted the ZIM San Diego, owned by an Israeli-based shipping company. Thanks to outstanding Seattle leadership, however, Port of Seattle officials were able to accommodate protesters while allowing the ship to unload its cargo on Friday without incident. Clearly, protesters have a First Amendment right to make their voices heard. But our region's maritime economy, the jobs it sustains, and the complex web of domestic and international customers should not be a casualty of politics a world away. Surrendering to protesters would have caused irreparable damage in a highly competitive environment, said Port of Seattle Commissioner Stephanie Bowman. "Looking as though we're turning cargo away, that we're inefficient, that we're not welcoming, is not the message we want to be sending." Three Seattle City Council members signed on to a statement calling for the ZIM San Diego to leave the port, ignoring that workers and Seattleites who benefit from the port are also members of the community, just as much as those who protest.
2021-06-28 00:00:00
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