People show support for arrested UF students at first appearance in court

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - A large crowd gathered outside the Alachua County Courthouse to show their support for Ian Dinkla and Bryn Taylor.

The 21-year-old Dinkla and 26-year-old Taylor were arrested during a counter protest against the pro-life group “Created Equal” on UF’s campus.

In addition to the 60-or-so people outside the courthouse, there were 25-or-so people inside the courtroom showing their support for Taylor and Dinkla.

“They’re our comrades,” said Danielle Chanzes, who spoke at the hearing, “they’re our friends and our community. It’s important when something like that happens to show the judges how much support somebody has.”

The police report states Dinkla snatched an officer’s firearm, and Taylor hit an officer in the back of the head with a bullhorn.

Chanzes says the allegations are not true.

“We always say ‘what’s done in the dark will come to light’,” said Chanzes, “and they will have their day in court to prove what did or didn’t happen.”

Another says the police did not do their jobs to protect students on campus.

“They are the UFPD,” said Nora Rodriguez, “so in theory, they should be the ones defending UF students. The fact that they are spending their time defending outside groups to me is just outrageous.”

Created Equal has released a statement about the incident:

“It is no surprise that those who advocate for the killing of preborn humans resort to violence towards those with whom they disagree,” said the group’s founder, Mark Harrington. “Created Equal condemns abortion-related violence and will continue to promote equality for all humans – both born and preborn. We are grateful no staff members were injured in this incident. We also appreciate the efforts of the university and its law enforcement officers to protect the peaceful exercise of our First Amendment rights. "

Both Taylor and Dinkla were released Saturday morning, Taylor’s release comes with the condition that she cannot be on UF’s campus during her trial.

RELATED: University of Florida Police officers arrest two during anti-abortion demonstration

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