Golden Gate Bridge protesters convicted on misdemeanor charges

Seven pro-Palestinian protesters who shut down traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge during a 2024 anti-war demonstration were convicted of multiple misdemeanor charges, while jurors deadlocked on a felony conspiracy count that could have carried up to 15 years in prison.

The San Francisco jury deliberated for seven days before finding each defendant guilty of six misdemeanors, including false imprisonment and obstruction of a thoroughfare. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said the convictions also included unlawful assembly. One defendant, Sara Cantor, who acted as a police liaison during the protest, was convicted of an additional misdemeanor count of refusing to disperse.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 21. Six face a maximum of five years in county jail, while Cantor faces up to five and a half years.

The jury could not reach a verdict on the felony conspiracy charge or on a misdemeanor trespassing charge, The Guardian reported. KQED reported that jurors split 10-2 in favor of guilt on the conspiracy count, resulting in a mistrial on that charge. Jenkins said her office would review its options. “At this time, we will evaluate our options and consider next steps,” she said regarding a possible retrial.

The case stems from an April 15, 2024, “Tax Day” protest against U.S. military and financial support for Israel during the war in Gaza. Demonstrators blocked southbound lanes of the Golden Gate Bridge for about four hours, using vehicles and chaining themselves together through pipes. CBS News San Francisco reported that the toll plaza typically records about 5,000 vehicles during those hours.

Prosecutors said the shutdown trapped motorists and created serious safety risks. “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,” Jenkins said in a 2024 statement when her office filed charges. She later noted that stranded motorists included medical workers who missed hospital shifts and a mother unable to get water for her baby’s formula.

Defense attorneys said the protesters acted from moral necessity after other forms of advocacy, including contacting members of Congress and writing letters, failed to stop U.S. support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Public defender Nuha Abusamra, who represents one defendant, described the outcome as a victory after jurors failed to convict on the most serious charge. “Today remains a victory,” she said, according to KQED. “We do not fight solely to win. We fight for the resistance.”

The seven defendants were identified by KQED as Bhavika Anandpura, River Allen, Rocky Chau, Conrad de Jesus, Sarah Ferrell, Em Tillotson and Sara Cantor. They were among 26 people arrested in connection with the bridge protest, a group supporters called the “Golden Gate 26.” Charges against 19 others were later dropped, deferred or resolved through pretrial diversion programs, community service and fines, according to the reports.

The case also drew attention because the Golden Gate Bridge transit authority sought restitution for lost toll revenue. Critics said the request was unusual for a bridge-blocking protest and argued the defendants were being singled out because of their pro-Palestinian views. The restitution claims were resolved before trial, with individual defendants paying three- and low-four-figure sums.

The 4,200-foot bridge linking San Francisco and Marin County has been the site of multiple protests since the late 1980s, including demonstrations related to AIDS, environmentalism and the Black Lives Matter movement.