A young woman who marched at a protest last fall was acquitted on Wednesday of charges brought by the Richmond prosecutors, who said they threw a rock at an occupied police cruiser.

Madeline Rotunda, who uses they/them pronouns, was arrested on Sept. 13, 2024, during a protest against the Virginia Israel Advisory Board. Organizers called for disbanding the state agency, which promotes Virginia’s business links with Israeli companies. Days after the protest, Virginia Commonwealth University police officers released a video of a masked marcher throwing a rock at a university police cruiser.

The Richmond Police Department later alleged Rotunda was the suspect in the incident. Police spokesperson James Mercante said Rotunda “was among an unruly crowd which was throwing objects, assaulting in

See Full Page