The California Highway Patrol is asking the hundreds of people who were trapped in their cars during an anti-Israel protest on the Golden Gate Bridge this week to come forward and report their experience as “victims” of false imprisonment.

The highway patrol is launching an investigation into the 26 individuals it arrested in connection to the protest on Monday, which was part of a coordinated set of demonstrations that unlawfully shut down traffic in thoroughfares across the Bay Area as well as other cities such as Chicago and New York.

Those who were “falsely imprisoned” and “detained against their will” may be entitled to restitution and other victim rights under Marsy’s law, San Fransisco’s district attorney, Brooke Jenkins, said in a statement on Tuesday. That law, under the California Victims’ Bill of Rights Act of 2008, states that victims of crime must have the same constitutional rights as those accused and convicted of crimes.

The investigation raises questions of what local and federal law enforcement authorities can do to protect citizens from illegal and unruly protests. Public transit routes across America have become hotbeds of such activity in recent months, fueled by turmoil over Israel’s war with Hamas. 

Some attorneys say the solution is civil court. After a coordinated pro-Palestine demonstration took hold of Manhattan’s main tunnels and bridges in January, drivers trapped in traffic were encouraged to file lawsuits against the protesters. 

“While we must protect avenues for free speech, the exercise of free speech cannot compromise public safety,” Ms. Jenkins said. She added: “I truly believe there can be free expression while maintaining the safety of our communities.”