SF Channel 5 KPIX KCBS GG Bridge coverage

Sue McGuire for KCBS-740 AM
(KCBS)--More than 100 protestors gathered on the Golden Gate Bridge Saturday afternoon in a huge anti-war demonstration and 26 of them were arrested.

KCBS reporter Bob Butler at the scene said the protestors walked most of the span northbound when the CHP stopped them and forced then to turn around.

Claudia Hernandez of the All Peoples Coalition says things got out of hand. "Our goal was not necssarily cause a disruption but just to spread a message of peace."

CHP officers escorted the demonstrators off the span. To do that, the officers were forced to close one of the lanes on the span which forced drivers to move from three lanes to two creating a huge bottleneck and backup.

Traffic became backed up onto Doyle Drive and onto city streets in San Francisco because of the demonstration. Northbound 19th Avenue also became backed up.

CHP officer Wayne Zeise tells KCBS the permit required the protestors to be off the span by 2 p.m. and that is why officers turned them around. Nor were protestors allowed to have any banners. "Individuals started pulling out banners in violation of the permit. The permit expired and they were supposed to leave and they didn't," said Officer Zeise.


At least 26 people were arrested on the bridge and a final one was arrested in the parking lot.

The CHP dispatched at least 100 officers to the scene.

The protestors say they want to stop the United States' involvement in the wars overseas.