“The fact that they came down so hard on us shows that they’re really afraid.” In a win for free speech rights a San Francisco judge declared a mistrial on felony conspiracy charges brought against seven of the “Golden Gate 26” activists. The activists were arrested and jailed for their 2024 Tax Day action in protest of US aid to Israel that shut down traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge for four hours. One misdemeanor trespassing charge also ended in a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a verdict. Defendants were found guilty on several misdemeanor charges, including for false imprisonment and one count each of obstruction of a thoroughfare and unlawful assembly in connection with the pro-Palestine action. Still, activists maintain this win sets an important precedent around the country to protect the right of people to speak out against genocide.

From BreakThrough News via This RSS Feed.