Some of the 26 individuals who are facing criminal charges stemming from a Tax Day protest in April that shut down the Golden Gate Bridge for several hours made court appearances on Monday, and were joined by activists protesting their prosecution.

D0zens of protesters gathered in the hallway outside the courtroom Monday at SF's Hall of Justice chanting "Drop the charges!" as a group of the April 15 protest participants faced a preliminary hearing. NBC Bay Area has footage from outside the courtroom, and they report that members of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) were part of the protest.

An NBC reporter described the demonstration Monday as "quick" but "rowdy."

A public defender representing one of the charged protesters told the station that all of the protesters' actions were "protected speech."

Wassim Hage with AROC tells NBC, "The charges are exemplary and ridiculous... It’s clear that there is an attempt here to discourage or intimidate people from trying acts of public civil disobedience. I don't think it's going to be effective."

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced the charges against the 26 protesters in early August, saying that the April 15 protest put lives and safety at risk.

"The demonstration on the Golden Gate Bridge caused a level of safety risk, including extreme threats to the health and welfare of those trapped, that we as a society cannot ignore or allow," Jenkins said in a statement. She included several examples of those who were stuck in hours of traffic which included a surgeon who had cancel all their operations that day, and an infant who missed a pre-surgery appointment.

In total, 38 charges were filed against the 26 protesters, including conspiracy and false imprisonment — and eight individuals are facing felony charges.

The handling of this protest, so far, stands in contrast to how the DA's office handled a similar protest last November that shut down the westbound Bay Bridge for several hours. In that case, 78 people were arrested and charged with misdemeanors, and they all accepted plea deals for pre-trial diversion in March.

Jenkins appears to want to make an example of the Golden Gate Bridge protesters and seek harsher penalties.

The group used a tactic known as "sleeping dragon," concealing handcuffed hands under PVC pipe to make it more difficult for police to break up their human chain. A group of them — likely the ones facing the felony charges — linked arms out car windows in order to blockade the entire bridge. Each of the PVC pipes had the words "Stop the Genocide" painted on them.

The day of the protest, Tax Day in the US, there were dozens of other organized demonstrations around the country to protest US aid to Israel in the war in Gaza. A similar "sleeping dragon" protest that same morning shut down I-880 in Oakland, only those protesters used steel drums filled with concrete to further obscure their linked arms.

Previously: SF DA Charges 26 Over April Golden Gate Bridge Protest

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