Felony Dropped for Golden Gate Bridge Protestors

Press Conference after Sentencing Hearing, August 21, 202

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA — August 21st, 2026 The San Francisco DA’s Office dismissed the felony conspiracy charge against the remaining Golden Gate Bridge Protestors after Judge Caffesse sentenced thern to 30 days jail, to be served if the appeal is unsuccessful.

Felony Conspiracy Charge Dismissed after Jury Failed to Convict “These seven people of conscience took a stand for humanity, a stand for Palestinian lives, a stand against genocide,” said Public Defender Gedeon at a press conference after the sentencing. “In response, our local government hit them with an unprecedented, malicious forty-four counts, threatening them with over forty years in prison. We Walked out of this courthouse with them facing only a handful of minor charges, resulting in misdemeanor probation and an unjust few days in jail.”

Public Defender Nuha Abusamra said the repression of US imperialism is designed to scare you. “It is a cancer that attacks our entire global system. From climate change, to genocide, to increasing wealth gaps and aiding billionaires, US imperialism is an evil that seeks to destroy until nothing is left.” She said the felony dismissal was the result of the people saying NO to the state’s overreach. “The state wanted our clients to plead to a conspiracy charge, and we said no way,” she said. “Today, we said no and we won.”

In an unusual move, Judge sentences misdemeanants to jail time.

Judge Caffesse sentenced each of the 7 defendants to jail time, denying requests to consider home detention or electronic monitoring, which is usually the option for misdemeanors in San Francisco County. “There was no reason whatsoever to impose a mandatory jail sentence,” said Abusamra. “What could it be other than the fact that they were protesting for Palestine?”

“I have been working here in this county first as a public defender since 1998,” said Defense Attorney on the case Katy Isa. “In 30 years, I have never seen a situation in which someone is given jail, given these mitigating factors. Never. This is political. and we cannot take the politics out of it.”

When the Judge asked the defendants if they accepted their sentence, Defendant Bhavika Anandpura said, “With the firm belief that one day all prisoners will be free, I accept.”

The defendants will remain out on bail pending appeal, a process that could take months.

“When a Judge or a DA talks about ‘public safety’ and ‘justice’, they are referring to the cages and endemic incompetence,” said Defendant Sarah Ferrell. “What they call ‘justice’, we call depravity. When they refer to ‘justice’ they are referring to the literal cages where they corral humans and degrade them, ignore them, and inflict bodily and psychological violence daily.”

Ferrell said no sentence they could have given us would be justice. “There is no justice as long as there are prisons,” she said. “There is no justice for the millions of Palestinians displaced, maimed, orphaned, and murdered since 1948 as long as Palestine is under occupation.”

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

• GG26 defendants are available to speak with members of the press upon request.
• A document detailing the methodology behind the estimated cost of the GG26 prosecution is available to members of the press upon request.
• A senior staff attorney from Palestine Legal is available to provide their perspective on the prosecution of the GG26. Please reach out to media@palestinelegal.org for queries or let us know if you’d like support in being connected.
• Photo documentation of the direct action is available lg with individual folders named after the respective photojournalists to be credited.
• An overview of the prosecution of the GGZ6 and trial summaries can be found on the supporter-run website: www. goldengatedefendants.com