Most charges against Gaza protesters dismissed but ‘intent is to scare people’ Protesters are facing increasingly draconian charges that get dismissed but could still have a chilling effect.
Cases are often dismissed because prosecutors have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that an individual protester committed a crime, and that can be difficult to achieve when dozens or hundreds of people were swept up in a mass arrest, de Janon added.
In San Francisco, where about 67% of 717 Gaza protest charges were dismissed, prosecutors tried charging protesters who marched on the Golden Gate Bridge with conspiracy and false imprisonment of motorists on the bridge.
Often with political support, police and prosecutors have recently charged Gaza or police reform protesters with domestic terrorism, racketeering or ethnic intimidation for acts like kicking over an Israeli flag.
In Michigan, the Guardian revealed that attorney general Dana Nessel had personal, financial and political connections to University of Michigan regents and pro-Israel donors who wanted charges brought against largely student protesters.
