Six people were arrested Thursday morning after blocking a Cobb County road in protest of the Israel-Hamas war, according to officials.
One of the protesters, a 21-year-old woman, cemented her hands to a vehicle that was used to block Olympic Industrial Drive shortly before 4:30 a.m., Cobb police said.
Firefighters and paramedics were able to free her, and she was then arrested.
”We understand the importance of the right to free speech and freedom of assembly, but actions that obstruct public roads or involve self-harm are not protected forms of protest,” police spokesperson Officer Aaron Wilson said in a statement.
The woman faces charges of loitering and prowling, obstruction, pedestrian in the roadway, impeding the flow of traffic and improper stopping in the roadway.
Five others were also arrested. They face charges of loitering, prowling and improperly stopping in the roadway.
In an email, a group called Atlanta Against Genocide claimed responsibility for the protest, saying they were targeting Hudson Technologies. The company, which is based in Pearl River, New York, has a $250 million U.S. Department of Defense contract to provide industrial gas and other materials to multiple foreign military customers, including Israel. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reached out to Hudson Technologies for comment.
Atlanta Against Genocide stated they were also protesting Thursday’s presidential debate in Atlanta as well as the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.
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