Top Democratic primary opponents of Kat Abughazaleh came to her defense Wednesday, accusing the Trump administration of punishing political dissent with the felony indictment that charged her and five others with impeding a federal officer during a protest last month.

The indictment accuses Abughazaleh, her field director Andre Martin, Cook County Board candidate Catherine Sharp, 45th Ward Committeeperson Michael Rabbitt, Oak Park Trustee Brian Straw and a sixth person, Joselyn Walsh, an organizer and musician, with impeding the officer on Sept. 26 in Broadview by attempting to block a moving car.

Abughazaleh appeared on MSNBC Wednesday night, saying she plans to plead not guilty at next week’s arraignment, adding “we plan to win.”

In a statement to Evanston Now, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) called the indictments partisan and “an alarming abuse of power.”

“Targeting individuals for exercising their rights is an attack on the very foundation of our democracy,” Schakowsky said. “We must reject any effort to use our justice system as a weapon against free expression and democratic values.”

In a statement moments after the indictment was unsealed, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, the frontrunner in the race to replace the retiring Schakowsky, called the indictment an effort to “silence dissent and scare residents into submission.”

“I hope these frivolous charges are dropped immediately and Trump begins to listen to the vast majority of Americans who oppose his terror campaign,” Biss said.

State Sen. Laura Fine accused prosecutors on social media of an “unjust prosecution in an attempt to intimidate and silence those who stand up for their rights and beliefs.”

Former federal prosecutor Nick Pyati wrote in a statement that the charges are “plainly a political prosecution [and] an attempt by the Trump Administration to not only intimidate protesters but turn them into propaganda.”

“Where you stand on this should not have anything to do with what you think about Kat’s policy proposals or what she says in this campaign,” Pyati said. “Where you stand has to be about the rule of law. Every American, in this district and around the country, should stand with Kat as she fights these weaponized and manufactured charges.”

In a statement later Wednesday, Bushra Amiwala called the charges “retaliatory” and said the indictment was a “judicial crackdown” by the DOJ in an “effort to intimidate communities, deflect accountability, and cover for the government’s own misconduct.”

And Bruce Leon, a moderate Chicago Democratic committeeperson who was critical of Abughazaleh’s campaign style during a recent forum, called the indictment a “blatant abuse of power.”

“I’m appalled that Ms. Abughazaleh was indicted by Trump’s Justice Department. This looks like another abuse of power meant to silence dissent,” Leon said, but added that he believes “that getting into physical confrontations with federal officers doesn’t make our communities safer.”

“She gets a campaign moment; meanwhile, ICE is still on the streets of Chicago and Evanston,” Leon said.

What does the indictment say?

The indictment, which misspells Abughazaleh’s name several times, accuses the six defendants of acting as “conspirators” to impede ICE operations by forcing a federal agent to “drive at an extremely slow rate of speed” through a crowd of protesters.

In a statement Wednesday evening, the U.S. Department of Justice accused the defendants of breaking a side mirror, rear windshield wiper and etching a “derogatory message” into the body of the vehicle.

The indictment alleges the message etched into the vehicle was “PIG,” but no photos of the alleged etching are provided and it’s not stated which defendant is accused of writing the message, breaking a windshield wiper or breaking a side mirror.

The indictment says the six defendants were among a “crowd of people who surrounded” the vehicle in an attempt to “hinder its movement” at the protest in Broadview on Sept. 26.

The indictment accuses other “known and unknown” individuals of being involved in the incident, although it targets the identifiable public officials and candidates for office.

“The FBI has zero tolerance for forcible criminal conduct against law enforcement officers engaged in their lawful functions,” said FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Douglas DePodesta.  “Impeding federal officers performing their duties or conspiring to do so are criminal offenses.”

Immediately after the indictment was made public, Abughazaleh posted a fundraising request on social media to help cover legal expenses.

“This is a political prosecution and a gross attempt at silencing dissent, a right protected under the First Amendment,” Abughazaleh said in a statement. “This case is yet another attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish those who dare to speak up.”

An attorney for Abughazaleh’s campaign said the use of campaign funds for legal fees would be permissible under federal election laws, since Abughazaleh was participating in the protests in Broadview as a candidate and that the potential legal expenses would not have been incurred had she not been a candidate for Congress.

All six defendants are set to be arraigned in federal court in Chicago on Nov. 5 at 3 p.m., according to court filings Wednesday.

The case is assigned to Judge April Perry, a Biden-appointed federal judge who blocked the federal government’s deployment of the National Guard in Chicago earlier this month.