SAN ANTONIO – A protest in support of Palestine shut down parts of two roads on the city’s Northwest Side early Monday morning.
The protest occurred near the Valero headquarters, which is located on 1 Valero Way, not far from Loop 1604.
Protesters were staged on both sides of Valero’s campus. The intersection of UTSA Boulevard and Valero Way was shut down, along with the access road of Loop 1604.
A press release said the activists “gathered to blockade the Valero headquarters to take a stand against the global economy’s complicity in the ongoing genocide in Palestine.” The release also said that Valero is a supplier of military-grade fuel to the Israeli military.
KSAT reached out to the company for comment.
The protests were targeted Monday to coincide with the IRS deadline to file federal income taxes. Protestors said it was to call attention to the US government’s “responsibility” in helping Israel fight Palestine. Monday is also the anniversary of the Women’s March on April 15, 1933, “which was a demonstration of Palestinian women’s unity against British colonialism and its role in promoting Jewish settlement of Palestine.”
The protest was one of many across the nation, including one that blocked the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and another that blocked a freeway leading to three Chicago O’Hare International Airport terminals, temporarily stopping vehicle traffic into one of the nation’s busiest airports and causing headaches for travelers.