Pro-Palestinian protesters sentenced for blocking I-95

Eight of the protesters had pleaded not guilty to charges related to the incident, while a ninth person pleaded no contest.

Zayneabideen Rasul Al-Murshidi, 23, of Roanoke; Charles Caines, 23, of Round Hill; Kenrick Keith Cameron Jr., 25, of Richmond; Jasmine Juliet Cuellar, 30, of Richmond; Sarah Elizabeth Milkowski Dahlgren, of Henrico County; Max Hudson Gray Holland, 24, of Henrico; Naomi Destiny Isaac, 25, of Richmond; and Connor Joris McCarty, 21, of Norfolk, were all convicted of blocking traffic and sentenced to five days in jail with 12 months probation and ordered to pay a $300 fine.

Kemp Walker Barber, 25, of Richmond, pleaded no contest to charges of stopping a vehicle to prevent movement and was sentenced to one day in jail and 12 months of probation.

The charges stem from a March 11 incident in which protesters wrapped themselves in chicken wire, linked themselves with a ladder and chains and lay down in the southbound lanes of I-95 South , near Exit 78 for Arthur Ashe Boulevard, according to the State of Virginia. Police.

The group was protesting the war in Gaza. Some displayed pro-Palestinian artwork and wore keffiyehs, a traditional Middle Eastern headdress.

The protest, which began around 7 a.m., lasted for hours and caused delays of up to 6.5 kilometers. VSP police officers who arrived on the scene declared an unlawful assembly and guided the demonstrators to the side of the highway, where they took them into custody. No injuries were reported and all lanes were reopened by 10:30 a.m.