The Golden Gate 26, the group of protesters that shut down the Golden Gate Bridge in April, were back in court Monday.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office charged 18 of the 26 protesters with misdemeanors and eight with felonies, including conspiracy and false imprisonment.
Supporters gathered before the court opened Monday to decry the charges, the district attorney's role in the case and to continue their call for the attacks on Gaza to stop.
Rachel Lederman, an attorney representing some of the protesters, said the charges are disproportionate.
"Throughout history people have used protest and civil disobedience as a way of bringing about social change," Lederman said. "These protesters are simply in that tradition. There’s really no precedent for the types of charges that have been filed against them."
Lederman and others representing the protesters said the charges represent District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ pro-Israel bias. Their request to have Jenkins and her office recused was denied by the judge overseeing the felony case last week.
The recusal request could come up again when the misdemeanor defendants return to court later this week.
A statement from the district attorney's office said the charges are based on facts from the investigation and current law.
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