San Francisco prosecutors have charged 26 protesters who blocked the Golden Gate Bridge for hours in April to demand a ceasefire in Gaza, The Associated Press reported.
The protest which took place on April 15 was one of many held by pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators who blocked roadways around the country, causing traffic jams and temporarily shutting down travel into some of the nation’s most heavily used airports.
The protesters were charged with felony conspiracy, false imprisonment, trespassing to interfere with a business, obstruction of a thoroughfare, unlawful assembly, refusal to disperse at a riot, and failure to obey the lawful order of a uniformed officer, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office announced.
Traffic was stalled for hours after demonstrators blocked lanes with vehicles, shutting down all vehicle, pedestrian and bike traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Prosecutors said the protest trapped hundreds of motorists on the bridge “who had no choice but to remain imprisoned on the freeway for several hours.”
The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office said it anticipates it will represent some of those charged and asked that the charges be dropped.
In March, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office dropped criminal charges against 78 protesters who blocked traffic on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge for hours in November and ordered them to do five hours of community service and pay restitution instead.
A month before the April protest, hundreds of protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and calling for an end to US military assistance for Israel blocked the international terminal at the San Francisco International Airport.