Michigan Attorney General charges three pro-Palestine protesters for Festifall ‘die-in’

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

According to a press release by the Students Allied for Freedom and Equality at the University of Michigan, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged three pro-Palestine protesters Wednesday for participating in a “die-in” demonstration at the University’s annual Festifall event that resulted in four arrests. Two protesters, who are unaffiliated with the University, are charged with one count each of trespassing and one count of resisting and obstructing a police officer, the former being a 90-day misdemeanor and the latter a 93-day misdemeanor. The other is charged with trespassing.

In an Instagram post Saturday afternoon, SAFE wrote that they felt the charges lacked merit and were an attack on pro-Palestine activism on campus.

“We know that these charges are politically motivated and baseless,” the post read. “Rather than heed the demands of the University community for divestment, the U-M Regents would rather recruit the state attorney general to prosecute their own constituents. Such attacks on the movement for Palestinian liberation only highlight the lengths to which institutions and the state will go to protect their profits from genocide.”

In an email to The Michigan Daily, the state attorney general’s press office wrote the protesters were given multiple warnings before the arrests were made.

“During the Festifall event it was clearly posted that the Diag was reserved for a specific function and that use of the space for other activities was prohibited,” the press office wrote. “There was an alternative site accessible for the purpose of demonstration. Multiple verbal warnings were issued that the group assembled on the Diag at that time for a political demonstration was committing a criminal violation and ample time was given to disburse before any arrests were effectuated.”

The charges come shortly after members of SAFE filed a lawsuit Dec. 20 against University President Santa Ono, the University Board of Regents and Martino Harmon, the University’s vice president for student life, for allegedly violating the group’s free speech, due process and equal protection rights. In the press release, SAFE claimed the timing of the charges represented an act of retaliation and criticized the University for its actions against their movement.

“This timing further demonstrates the University and state’s use of political charges as retaliation,” the release read. “We demand that Santa Ono and the Board of Regents end their campaign of violence and intimidation against students, university workers, and community members advocating for Palestinian liberation.”

Daily News Editor Marissa Corsi can be reached at macorsi@umich.edu.

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