Three women were arrested on Saturday after they blocked traffic on Interstate 4 near Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, while holding "Free Palestine" signs.
Three anti-Israel agitators were arrested on Saturday afternoon after they blocked traffic on Interstate 4 near Walt Disney World.
FOX 35 in Orlando reported that troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol responded to the scene and found three women holding "Free Palestine" signs while blocking traffic in the westbound lanes of Interstate 4 at Exit 67.
The three women – 26-year-old Isabella Giannosa; 24-year-old My Truong; and 24-year-old Jenni Nguyen – were taken into custody and arrested before being transported to the Orange County Jail and charged with misdemeanor refusal to obey a police officer.
After the incident, police discovered two vehicles parked on the ramp to the interstate, which were then towed away from the scene.
Video obtained by the station shows the trio of women, all wearing facial coverings, and holding pro-Palestinian banners in the middle of the westbound ramp lanes near Disney Springs.
One of the banners read, "Free Palestine" and had a Mickey Mouse emblem between the two words.
The second banner read, "Lookup NAKBA 1948."
The protesters also shouted, "Free Palestine," and other chants as drivers became agitated by the situation and started honking their horns and driving through the grass to get around the women.
Orlando Police said two people were arrested earlier in the day on Saturday at a demonstration at Lake Eola Park. Both of the individuals face charges related to battery on a law enforcement officer, the station reported.
There were about 1,200 people at the Lake Eola Park protest, where officers used a chemical agent to disperse a disruptive bunch in the crowd.
"While most demonstrated peacefully, we did make 2 arrests," the Orlando Police Department wrote in a press release. " ".
The arrests come amid a wave of anti-Israel protests across the United States in recent weeks.
On May 10, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Israeli consulate in New York City to denounce the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians.
And on May 11, dozens of protesters blocked traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to protest the Israeli government's bombing of Gaza.
The protests have been sparked by the Israeli government's ongoing military operation in Gaza, which has killed hundreds of Palestinians.
The Israeli government says the operation is necessary to stop Hamas, a militant group that controls Gaza, from firing rockets into Israel.
