San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said 26 people who were arrested on Monday for shutting down the Golden Gate Bridge while protesting Israel’s war in Gaza will be released without charges while an investigation into potential charges continues. 

The 26 were arrested by California Highway Patrol officers after blocking traffic for several hours starting at 8:30 a.m. Monday. They were booked on multiple misdemeanors and a potential felony conspiracy charge, but Jenkins said she was not ready to make the final charging decision before the 24-hour deadline to charge or release expired at 4 p.m. Tuesday. 

“That timeline has not given the CHP enough time to complete their investigation into the 26 individuals arrested at this one event and gather all of the evidence required for us to evaluate and make proper charging decisions for each person at this time,” Jenkins said. 

The action was part of coordinated protests in multiple cities around the nation, including in Oakland, where protesters blocked Interstate Highway 880. Protesters said they were targeting the global economy in response to the ongoing war.

Jenkins said the protest was not covered by the First Amendment. 

“While we must protest avenues for free speech, the exercise of free speech cannot compromise public safety,” she said.  

Gov. Gavin Newsom agreed with Jenkins. 

“Free speech is critical, but it does not extend to endangering the public. People need to be held accountable for their actions.” Gov. Gavin Newsom

“Free speech is critical, but it does not extend to endangering the public. People need to be held accountable for their actions,” Newsom said in a statement. 

Jenkins solicited victim statements from those who were impacted by the protest and suggested they had been falsely imprisoned. 

“Anyone who was detained against their will (falsely imprisoned) is urged to contact the CHP,” she said in a press release.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians since it began on Oct. 7, including about 24,000 women and children. 

Israel’s bombing campaign was launched in response to a terrorist attack by Hamas that killed nearly 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages. Negotiations for about 130 hostages are ongoing.