As pro-Hamas camps pop up at universities nationwide, UMich activists hand out 'Death to America' pamphlets
Anti-Israel students at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor are protesting their school’s connections to Israel by setting up a camp on campus following similar protests at Columbia and elsewhere.
According to Eitan Fischberger on X, students attending the occupation are "handing out pamphlets calling for 'Death to America' and a third intifada."
Nationwide anti-Israel protests at campuses have spread to the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, where anti-Israel activists have erected a camp on campus Monday morning to protest their school’s connections to the Jewish State.
Students attending the occupation have set up a “Liberated Encampment Zone” and are “handing out pamphlets calling for ‘death to America’ and a third intifada,” Eitan Fischberger reported on X, alongside photographss of the literature.
NEW: @UMich’s new “Liberated Encampment Zone” is handing out pamphlets calling for “death to America” and a third intifada. H/T @rubin_a1 & @jbis9051 pic.twitter.com/5CiooMn2DH
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) April 22, 2024
The photographed pamphlet is titled “10 Anarchist Theses on Palestine Solidarity in the United States.” Thesis # 10 states: “Ultimately, our main task as revolutionaries in the United States remains to be the unmaking of the American empire,” and “Freedom for Palestine means Death to America.”
One university student posted a video of protestors marching with the description: “Protestors are circling around the camp chanting ‘...SHUT IT DOWN!’”
Protestors are circling around the camp chanting “...SHUT IT DOWN!” pic.twitter.com/RcGlJe2sfs
— Josh Brown (@jbis9051) April 22, 2024
Michigan State Senator Lana Theis wrote on X, “@UMich Your students should not feel threatened while on campus & their safety is your responsibility. Further, if, these protests affect your students’ ability to attend classes or study, I believe a tuition refund is in order. These are not peaceful words,” with a link to Fischberger’s post on X.
.@UMich Your students should not feel threatened while on campus & their safety is your responsibility. Further, if, these protests affect your students’ ability to attend classes or study, I believe a tuition refund is in order. These are not peaceful words:…
— Senator Lana Theis (@SenLTheis) April 22, 2024
The demonstration was arranged by the Tahrir Coalition, an association of tens of anti-Israel groups, including the campus chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, wrote The Michigan Daily.
[RELATED: ‘Call out the National Guard’: Biden must send troops to Columbia campus, Hawley says]
Other members of Tahrir Coalition include Young Democratic Socialists of America, Latinx Indigenous Social Work Alliance, and the Muslim Student Association, as seen on the group’s website.
A Umich spokesperson told Campus Reform: “Students can engage in peaceful protest in many places on campus. However, the university has a responsibility to maintain an environment that is conducive to learning and academic success. No one has the right to substantially disrupt university activities or to violate laws or university policies. We are working to minimize disruptions to university operations – most especially with final exams looming. Safety is always a key priority and, as such, we have increased security on campus. We are carefully monitoring the situation and remain prepared to appropriately address any harassment or threats against any member of our community.”
The Umich activists are following in the footsteps of Columbia University’s anti-Israel protest, in which the NYPD had arrested more than 100 demonstrators.
Other anti-Israel protests and “Gaza encampments” following the Columbia protest began at the University of California - Berkeley, Rice University in Houston, California State Polytechnic University - Humboldt, and the University of Minnesota.
Campus Reform has reached out to the University of Michigan for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.