Protesters who blocked Golden Gate Bridge hit with false imprisonment charges

Protesters against the war in Gaza who blocked traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge in April are facing false imprisonment and other charges, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said on Saturday.

Charges were announced for 26 people, including eight who are facing charges of felony conspiracy and 18 facing misdemeanor conspiracy. Other charges include trespassing, unlawful assembly and failure to obey a uniformed officer, among other charges.

The protest involved a group parking vehicles and sitting next to them with a chain that ran through the vehicles' windows and was locked to those sitting on the bridge. The chain prevented California Highway Patrol officers from immediately removing the protesters.

The announcement of the prosecution of protesters who were denouncing US support for Israel's war in Gaza came the same day an Israeli airstrike killed dozens of civilians at a school being used as a refugee shelter.

"The UN Human Rights Office condemned on Saturday the increasing frequency of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strikes on schools, where hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced Palestinians have sought shelter, with the latest attacks killing dozens at a Gaza City school," said a statement by the UN.

The charges of false imprisonment of drivers stuck on the Golden Gate Bridge for about four-and-a-half hours also comes as 115 hostages are still being held by Hamas, including Israelis and foreign nationals, according to the United Nations.

They were taken along with others in a terrorist raid by Hamas militants into Israel in an attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7 last year. The response by Israel has killed close to 40,000 Palestinians, including about 10,000 children, according to the United Nations.

No injuries were reported by Jenkins in connection with the protests, but several issues like missed surgeries and medical appointments, a baby without water for infant formula, and people stuck without bathrooms were just some of the issues people on the bridge faced.

Jenkins also said a mother was concerned for her disabled son who was stuck on a school bus on the bridge. Missed work and flights were also reported to the DA.

"While we must protect avenues for free speech, the exercise of free speech can not compromise public safety," Jenkins said in a statement. "The demonstration on the Golden Gate Bridge caused a level of safety risk, including extreme threats to the health and welfare of those trapped, that we as a society cannot ignore or allow," she said.

Over 200 people called the California Highway Patrol on the day of the protest reporting they were stuck in the bridge. Using traffic averages, the DA's office said about 20,000 vehicles were blocked from using the bridge during the hours of the protest, but did not specify how many were on the bridge at the time.

The DA also alleged that the protest, which the DA's press release referred to as the "A15 protests," cost the Golden Gate Bridge district over $162,000 in lost revenue.

The 26 protesters were eventually arrested after surrendering. They were initially released without charge, but Jenkins said at the time that charges could be brought pending her investigation.

Gov. Gavin Newsom agreed at the time that the protesters should face consequences.

"Free speech is critical, but it does not extend to endangering the public. People need to be held accountable for their actions," Newsom said in a statement following the protest in April.

The protest was held at the same time another group of protesters shut down traffic on Interstate Highway 880 in Oakland for several hours. Other protests in opposition to the United States' role in arming Israel have been held at San Francisco International Airport, Lockheed Martin facilities around the Bay Area, and university campuses including the University of California, Berkeley.

Those charged have until Monday to surrender to California Highway Patrol, Jenkins said.