Pro-Palestinian protesters who blocked road near Sea-Tac Airport to have charges dropped

SEATAC, Wash. (AP) — More than three dozen pro-Palestinian protesters accused of blocking a main road into the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in April are set to have misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and failing to disperse dropped.

City of SeaTac prosecutors agreed this week to dismiss the charges after a maximum of six months on the conditions that each defendant attends any needed court hearings, has no crime violations and does not visit Sea-Tac Airport property except for traveling, The Seattle Times reported.

Those charged can file for immediate dismissal if they do 10 hours of community service, or after three months if they meet the conditions. The people charged were ready to take the deal rather than take their cases to trial, said Hope Freije, a spokesperson for “The Sea-Tac 46” but not a defendant herself.

SeaTac spokesperson Catherine Rogers wrote in an email to the newspaper that prosecutors wouldn’t refile charges against some of the protesters who already had their cases dismissed because they couldn’t get a public defender.

On April 15, the demonstration closed the main road to the airport for several hours, according to the Washington State Patrol. Social media posts showed people holding a banner and waving Palestinian flags while standing on the highway. Demonstrators also blocked roadways near airports in California, Illinois and New York in a coordinated effort that day.

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The protesters were calling for an immediate cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and an end to military aid to Israel.

Less than 24 hours after the protest, Port of Seattle police referred charges of disorderly conduct and failure to disperse to the SeaTac Legal Department. All 46 people charged were released from jail after posting $500 bail.

Several days ago, San Francisco prosecutors filed charges against 26 protesters who blocked the Golden Gate Bridge for hours on the same day. The protesters face several additional charges such as felony conspiracy, false imprisonment, and obstruction of a thoroughfare, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said.

The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office said it anticipates it will represent some of those charged and asked that the charges be dropped.

In March, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office dropped criminal charges against 78 protesters who blocked traffic on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge for hours in November to demand a cease-fire in Gaza, prosecutors said.

People calling for a cease-fire in Western Washington have disrupted traffic and events for months. In May, six people pleaded not guilty to charges in connection with a protest that temporarily closed Interstate 5 in Seattle in January.