11 charged for involvement at UMich encampment in April
The Michigan Attorney General recently announced that nearly a dozen anti-Israel protesters at the University of Michigan will be charged in connection with their pro-Palestine demonstrations.
The charges are primarily in relation to an encampment set up on Michigan’s campus in April.
The Michigan Attorney General recently announced that nearly a dozen anti-Israel protesters at the University of Michigan will be charged in connection with their pro-Palestine demonstrations.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel made the announcement on Sept. 12, and the charges were filed against 11 demonstrators in a state district court on Sept. 11. According to a press release from Nessel’s office, the protesters were “mostly students and alumni.”
“There were dozens of demonstrators in this encampment that morning who promptly obeyed the officers on the scene and dispersed,” Nessel said in a statement. “For those who did not, trespassing is a 30-day misdemeanor. In this case we charged only those who made an effort to impede the officers clearing the encampment.”
The charges also include disturbing the peace and malicious destruction of personal property.
Nessel announced that her office has charged seven demonstrators with “Resisting or Obstructing” police, which are both felonies.
“Resisting or Obstructing is a much more serious offense, and for the seven demonstrators we have charged with that felony, we allege that every one of them physically placed their hands or bodies against police who were conducting their duty to clear the hazardous encampment, or physically obstructed an arrest,” Nessel explained in the press release.
“The right to free speech and assembly is fundamental, and my office fully supports every citizen’s right to free speech under the First Amendment,” the A.G. noted. “However, violent and criminal behavior, or acts that trample on another’s rights, cannot be tolerated.”
As noted by CBS News, the charges are in relation to an encampment set up on Michigan’s campus in April, during which anti-Israel demonstrators demanded that the university divest from companies that have financial ties to the Jewish state.
Two individuals were also charged for their actions during a counterprotest on Michigan’s Diag during April 25.
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Campus Reform has recently reported about other anti-Israel demonstrations at Michigan, including protesters wearing headbands affiliated with a terrorist group and the Michigan student government freezing student organization funds until the university administration divests from companies with ties to Israel.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Michigan for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
