We, the undersigned community members, call on Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, Seattle Elected Officials, and Seattle Port Commissioners to uphold SSA President Edward DeNike’s decision to ask the ZIM San Diego vessel to leave the Port of Seattle after #BlockTheBoat organizers prevented workers from unloading the ship. The Israeli Consulate General has reportedly put pressure on our local officials to go against the strong message Seattle workers and community members have sent in opposing the unloading of the vessel from the Israeli ZIM shipping line.

Above and beyond the pressure and attempts at coercion of a foreign government with documented human rights abuses, you have a duty and obligation as public officials to respect and protect the first amendment rights of Seattle residents to conduct community pickets.

Edward DeNike, president of SSA Terminal at the Port of Seattle where the ZIM ship is at anchor, has asked ZIM to leave after a 12 day protest which has delayed the ZIM vessel from being unloaded. This delay culminated in a demonstration on June 12th where Seattle community mobilized in support of #BlockTheBoat to prevent the ZIM vessel from being unloaded.

The protest against Zim is a response to a call from labor unions in Palestine asking the world to support their human rights, and a Call to Action by the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC), that compelled ILWU port workers to honor community pickets and similarly refuse to unload a ZIM-operated cargo ship at the Port of Oakland on June 4, 2021.

These calls to action came after the recent escalation of violence in May 2021 by the State of Israel against the Palestinian people which killed 295 Palestinians, wounded over 3,000, and displaced 90,000 from their homes.

Since the request was made for ZIM to leave, the ZIM vessel has refused, and continues to occupy a berth space at the port preventing other vessels from being unloaded. This comes as the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest attempts to pressure Seattle Public Officials to have ILWU unload the ZIM ship.

• We are calling on our Elected Officials and Seattle Port Commissioners to stand in solidarity with community members’ first amendment rights, and the autonomy of port workers to decide how and when they can safely do business. Our elected officials must not abuse their authority by interfering with the fundamental rights of workers at the port to make collective decisions in their workplace.
• We demand that our elected officials uphold the port terminal’s decision to ask the ZIM vessel to leave the Port of Seattle, as the #BlockTheBoat demonstration has created a health and safety violation.
• We call on the City of Seattle, the Port Authority, and all other public agencies to respect the rights of community members to engage in #BlockTheBoat pickets and Seattle community members’ First Amendment right to protest Israeli apartheid. Finally, we call on Seattle public agencies to respect the autonomy of Seattle community members by not caving to Israeli government interests.