Michigan AG charges 11 in connection with University of Michigan protests over Israel-Hamas war
(CBS DETROIT) - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced on Thursday that she has filed charges against 11 people in connection with protests at the University of Michigan.
The charges were filed on Wednesday in 15th District Court in Washtenaw County. Officials say none of the defendants have been arraigned.
Nine of the people were charged with trespassing for refusing to vacate an encampment that was set up on the university's Diag earlier this year. Seven of those people were also charged with resisting and obstructing a police officer related to the dismantling of the encampment for allegedly attempting to halt or push back police.
Additionally, a university alumnus is charged with disturbing the peace and attempted ethnic intimidation, while another person not affiliated with the university is charged with two counts of malicious destruction of property related to a counterprotest on the Diag on April 25. Officials say the alumnus is accused of kicking flags belonging to protestors, while the other person is accused of taking multiple Israeli flags, breaking two of them, and throwing them in a garbage can.
"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," Nessel said in the release. "However, violent and criminal behavior, or acts that trample on another's rights, cannot be tolerated. I hope today's charges are a reminder to everyone who chooses to assemble, regardless of the cause, that the First Amendment does not provide a cover for illegal activity."
The charges come after an investigation reviewed documents and videos, including police reports, body cam footage, the U of M Regents' bylaws and ordinance, cellphone videos and photos, and social media posts.
Officials declined to prosecute anyone for the protests during the university's honors convocation on March 25 or the protests outside of the Museum of Art on April 22.
The investigation into the protests outside of Regents members' homes is ongoing.
In April, several protestors set up an encampment, demanding that the university divest from Israel amid the war in Gaza. Police cleared the encampment a month later, to which Nessel said several demonstrators "defied orders from law enforcement to vacate the camp, and physically obstructed the police and pushed against their bodies," according to a news release.
"In this case we charged only those who made an effort to impede the officers clearing the encampment," Nessel said. "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."
Some leaders questioned Nessel's decision to file the charges.
"Given the nature of the charges and the politics surrounding the circumstances, we question AG Nessel's involvement in this case, which would be typically handled by a local prosecutor," said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI).
On X, U.S. Rep Rashida Tlaib said "The AG failed to deliver justice for the victims of the Flint Water Crisis but has time to bring frivolous charges that only serve to silence those speaking out against a genocidal apartheid regime? This shameful attack on students' rights will fail. Follow the Constitution."