Golden Gate Bridge Gaza Protesters Deadlocked on Felony Conspiracy Charges

Attorneys for the protesters did not dispute that their clients blocked bridge traffic, but argued that they believed their actions were legally protected because they were “necessary” to save the lives of Palestinians in Gaza.

The demonstration was part of an international movement protesting the U.S.’s involvement in Israel’s war in Gaza. Activists also shut down traffic on Interstate-880 in Oakland, and staged similar protests in San Diego, Seattle, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Chicago and across Mexico, Vietnam and Australia.

Protesters, part of a larger group who dubbed themselves the “Golden Gate 26,” chained themselves to parked cars and each other in the southbound lanes of the bridge beginning at 7:30 a.m. on April 15, causing a significant traffic backup as commuters tried to travel into San Francisco from the North Bay.

Their attorneys said the protesters had tried expressing their concern through less disruptive means, like calling their local representatives and participating in marches. At the time, as Israel was weighing whether to invade Rafah, a city along Gaza’s southern border where 1 million displaced Palestinians were seeking refuge, they believed the escalation was necessary to save lives.

After weeks of deliberation, the jury said it could not come to unanimous decisions on the most serious conspiracy charge or misdemeanor trespassing with the intent to interfere with business.

The foreperson of the jury told the court on Thursday that they took at least six votes on the conspiracy charge, which usually ended in a 10-to-2 vote split, with the majority of jurors finding the protesters guilty. On a misdemeanor trespassing charge, all but one of the jurors leaned toward finding the group not guilty.

Throughout the weekslong trial, the San Francisco District Attorney’s office argued that the protesters’ actions had significant consequences for other Bay Area residents — some of whom missed doctors’ appointments or shifts at work while stuck on the bridge — and cost the bridge thousands of dollars in uncollected fares.

Superior Court Judge Teresa Caffese declined to give the jury special instructions to consider a necessity defense, but at least some members of the jury appeared swayed by protesters’ attorneys’ closing argument.

It was not immediately clear if the district attorney’s office would retry the undecided charges.

This is a developing story and will be updated.