The protestors were demonstrating against what the International Criminal Court is describing as Israel’s genocide in Gaza. They chained themselves together across the bridge for multiple hours before being detained.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced the charges Saturday.
Eight protesters are accused of one count each of felony conspiracy, trespassing, obstructing a thoroughfare, refusal to disperse a riot and failure to obey a lawful police order. Also, 38 counts of false imprisonment. Eighteen others are charged with misdemeanor versions of the same charges.
Wassim Hage is an organizer with the Arab Resource and Outreach Center. He says 100-250 community members gathered at the county jail this morning calling for the charges to be dropped.
“It’s important for our community to continue to show up and support people who are facing this kind of repression, and I think people are going to continue to do that. ”
Last fall Jenkins attempted to charge 78 protestors who blocked the Bay Bridge… but she was unable to build a case against them.
Jeff Wozniak is one of the lawyers representing the demonstrators.
“It is clear this is a politically motivated prosecution by Jenkins. There is no difference substantively between what happened on the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge. There is not a big difference in the alleged harms and the delays and time it took to clear the folks engaged in the action.”
The first of the court dates begins later this week.
[[Jeff Wozniak also represented the 'Bay Bridge 78' protestors in their case. ]]