Leaders of disruptive anti-Israel ‘Shut It Down’ party at University of Michigan impeached and removed

The leaders of the disruptive “Shut It Down” party, which gained control of the University of Michigan student government to promote divestment from Israel, were impeached and removed.

Alifa Chowdhury, president of the student government, and Elias Atkinson, the vice president, were impeached on Monday, The New York Times noted. Both were members of the Shut It Down party. 

The anti-Israel party repeatedly stopped funds from going to student activities, vowing to continue doing so until the university divested from its connections to the Jewish state. 

[RELATED: Anti-Semitic incidents on U.S. college campuses see alarming rise, report finds] 

At one point, the party tried to send hundreds of thousands of dollars to a controversial university located in the West Bank that has been accused of having ties to terrorism. 

But Shut It Down lost several seats on the student government due to the refusal of many of its members to appear regularly at meetings. That deficiency, coupled with the efforts of the Keep It Running Party–which has several members trained by the Leadership Institute–made sure that a normal student budget could be passed despite the Shut It Down party’s attempts at disruption. 

The passage of that budget triggered outrage from Shut It Down party members, who harassed and screamed at the students responsible for passing the budget. Those students had to be escorted out by police to ensure their safety in the face of the anti-Israel protesters. 

The impeachment resolution, published Monday, notes that Chowdhury and Atkinson are guilty of “dereliction of duty.” 

“The third article of impeachment alleges President Chowdhury committed various derelictions of duty, including accruing at least four unexcused absences from Assembly meetings. Similarly, the fifth and final article of impeachment alleges Vice President Atkinson committed derelictions of duty. Among them is an accusation that Vice President Atkinson, as chair of the University Council, failed to hold required meetings,” the resolution notes. 

[RELATED: Anti-Israel student group sues University of Michigan for free speech violations] 

The resolution dismisses claims that “President Chowdhury’s non-participation was exactly what they were elected to do and that, therefore, they had a democratic mandate not to engage.”

It states: “If a President of the United States was elected on a campaign pledge to commit ‘high crimes and misdemeanors,’ it is blindingly obvious that the President would remain impeachable for such conduct.”

Campus Reform has contacted the University of Michigan for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.