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Judge dismisses most charges against ‘Golden Gate 26’

Protesters on Golden Gate Bridge during a 2020 demonstration
Lynn Friedman
/
Flickr / Creative Commons
Protesters on Golden Gate Bridge during a 2020 demonstration

A San Francisco judge Friday dismissed most of the charges against an activist group arrested in the Golden Gate Bridge case.

Judge Brendan P. Conroy dismissed 32 of the 44 charges against 26 Bay Area activists known as the GG26 arrested during an April 15 protest on the Golden Gate Bridge, according to the press release. One individual was dismissed from the case entirely.

The judge also signaled openness to reducing felony charges against eight protesters to misdemeanors and could adjust restitution amounts at the next hearing on Dec. 6, authorities noted.

Jeff Wozniak, an attorney representing the protestors facing felony charges, said: "The clients know their actions were just, taken to speak up for the thousands of Palestinians murdered in the past year and that the initial, overly-harsh charges were merely an effort to silence their activism."

Authorities argued that the demonstration, which called for an end to U.S. support of Israeli actions in Gaza and an arms embargo against Israel, briefly disrupted traffic on the bridge.

Sunni M. Khalid is a veteran of more than 40 years in journalism, having worked in print, radio, television, and web journalism.