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Traffic gets a crush as protesters push on the George Mason Memorial Bridge (14th St Bridge Complex) on Interstate 395 southbound from the District to Virginia, the Virginia Department of Transportation said on Twitter.
DC police are responding to the bridge but were unaware of the nature of the protest. A group on Twitter, which tweeted photos directly from the protest, said the demonstration was to stand against the genocide of people from the Tigray National Regional State, Ethiopia’s northernmost state.
Protesters wave Tigray flags and hold a large banner that reads “Two years #Tigraygenocide”.
“We hope you will stand with us in solidarity and call for an end to 2 years (and counting). #TigrayGenocide’ wrote one protester in a tweet.
On Wednesday, the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces formally signed a ceasefire, raising hopes that two years of the devastating war that threatened to tear apart Africa’s second-most populous country could be coming to an end.
The document promised unhindered access for humanitarian aid, the restoration of services like telecommunications and banking in the country’s Tigray region, and a cessation of hate speech. The federal government would take over Mekelle, the capital of the rebel region, and restore Ethiopia’s unity.
Tigrayan forces are to be disarmed and not to support other armed groups as Ethiopia battles multiple ethnic insurgencies in the vast country.
Travelers should expect delays. DC Police said in a tweet that all westbound Virginia lanes are closed and all traffic is being diverted to the HOV Express lane.
Due to a first change protest on the 14th Street Bridge, all westbound Virginia lanes are currently closed and all traffic is being diverted to the HOV Express lane until further notice.
— DC Police Traffic (@DCPoliceTraffic) November 6, 2022
According to a police department spokeswoman, an initial call was received at 3:44 p.m. to inform the police of the protest.
“Our units are responding,” said Officer Makhetha Watson. “We have units going up there to see what’s going on at the crime scene.”
A similar protest took place in Seattle on Friday afternoon, the Seattle Times reported. Demonstrators raising awareness of the war in the Tigray area closed Interstate 5 in one direction for a few hours, causing a 4-mile backlog.
This is an evolving story and will be updated.