100 ACTIVISTS BLOCKADE MAERSK/ZIM WEAPONS SHIPMENTS TO GAZA GENOCIDE AT ELIZABETH, NJ MARINE TERMINAL- FOUR ARRESTED, Oct 3. 2025

News Release

 100 ACTIVISTS BLOCKADE MAERSK/ZIM WEAPONS SHIPMENTS TO GAZA GENOCIDE AT ELIZABETH MARINE TERMINAL- FOUR ARRESTED
Protest Organized in Solidarity with Illegally Intercepted Global Sumud Flotilla

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Elizabeth, NJ – On Friday, October 3rd at 5:30 AM, protesters blockaded the Elizabeth Marine Terminal, one of Maersk and ZIM’s largest export ports on the East Coast shipping weapons to Israel for use in its US-backed genocide in Gaza. Four protesters were arrested by Port Authority Police and taken to 1 Conrad Road at Newark Airport all have been released. Police also impounded 12 cars of protesters parked at The Mills at Jersey Gardens, a nearby shopping mall.

At 5:30 AM, protesters created a massive blockade at the Terminal’s North Avenue entrance holding flowers to symbolize peace and laying down shrouds to recognize the babies and children  killed in Gaza since October 7th. The activists held signs reading “ZIM + MAERSK SHIP BOMBS,” “FUND HEALTHCARE NOT GENOCIDE,” and “STOP ARMING GENOCIDE.” Traffic cones were lined outside the crosswalk and wrapped with caution tape. Police tore through the tape, kicked the shrouds, lifted protesters off the ground and dragged demonstrators, including praying senior women, across the street.

After the police broke the blockade around 6:15am, they divided the group in half at either side of the road. Undeterred, activists continued blocking multiple lanes of the road. Police then brought out barriers to physically force protestors out of the road. One person crossed the barrier and was arrested.  The demonstration continued until  7 AM, when police broke it up by towing the protesters’ cars.

Maersk and ZIM are the targets of the #MaskOffMaersk international pressure campaign spearheaded by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM). According to PYM, “Maersk fulfills part of its Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with the U.S. Department of Defense by transporting military cargo…Maersk does not just support the Zionist genocide through outbound shipping of military cargo from the U.S. to Israel…Maersk ships also carry military cargo to arms manufacturers in the US in order for these weapons companies to assemble the weapons that murder our people…Targeting Maersk directly disrupts the flow of military cargo in the supply chain of death used to genocide Palestinians.”   

According to United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, the real death toll in Gaza since October 7, 2023 may run as high as 680,000, citing analysis by Dr. Gideon Polya, a researcher of avoidable mortality. US provision of weapons to a military engaged in war crimes and genocide violates the  War Crimes Act, the Leahy Act, The Foreign Assistance Act, Arms Export Control Act, and The Genocide Convention Implementation Act.

Friday’s protest was organized in solidarity with port protests in Oakland, CA; Dublin, Ireland; and at  ports in Spain, Italy, France, Sweden, and Greece as well as with the Global Sumud Flotilla, a worldwide humanitarian aid mission intercepted by the Israeli military yesterday in international waters. Two New Jersey residents, Carsie Blanton and Tommy Marcus, were among those seized and being illegally held by Israel. The blockade was also held in solidarity with a protest today calling on Rep. Mikie Sherrill,, Democratic candidate for NJ governor, to cosponsor the Block the Bombs Act, legislation in Congress to stop the US from supplying weapons to Israel at her “Meet and Greet” in New Brunswick.

“Our protest is one of many around the world today calling for the release of the crews of the Global Sumud Flotilla, including New Jerseyans Carsie Blanton and Tommy Marcus, who have been seized in violation of international law on their humanitarian mission to break the blockade and bring desperately needed food and medical supplies to Gaza in order to prevent Israel  from deliberately starving the people of Gaza to death.” said A Pollicino.

“New Jersey residents should be outraged that, in the name of corporate greed, Maersk is using our port to ship weapons to Israel to commit genocide. It’s outrageous that elected officials like Mikie Sherrill, who refuses to cosponsor to Block the Bombs Act in Congress, are allowing our state to be complicit in war crimes,” said Adam Weissman, a Jewish resident of Teaneck.

“We’ve written countless letters to our elected representatives. We’ve called them endlessly. None of it has worked. We’re left with no option but to use our bodies to nonviolently block the flow of weapons our country is illegally supplying to Israel” genocide in Gaza,” said John Amidon of Veterans for Peace.

“My sisters Teresa and Ellen, two of the hundred protesters here today, were arrested while holding tiny shrouds symbolizing the 380,000 children under 5 that have been murdered by Israel in the last two years. We must act to stop Zim and Maersk from supplying US weapons to commit genocide,” added Mary Anne Grady Flores. 

“Maersk and Zim, two major international shipping companies, are responsible for supplying Israel with the weapons used to slaughter and commit genocide against the people of Gaza. Our nonviolent action disrupted the war-making status quo. It was beautiful to see peace advocates of many faiths and backgrounds coming together with one shared goal – to end the genocide in Gaza now,” observed former Asbury Park councilman Jim Keady.

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