Assault charges filed against four pro-Palestinian protestors involved in U of M sit-in

Palestinian flag at the student encampment on the University of Michigan campus. April 26, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

Four protestors who were arrested after they “forcefully gained access” to a University of Michigan administration building in November are now facing charges in the case.

The Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday that charges of resisting/obstructing/assaulting a law-enforcement officer had been authorized against four individuals who were among an estimated 250 pro-Palestinian protesters that university officials say illegally entered the Ruthven Administrative building late in the afternoon of Nov. 17.

The incident came just six weeks after the Oct. 7 surprise attack on southern Israel conducted by Hamas militants that killed more than a thousand Israelis and took more than 250 hostages. The resulting Israeli military response has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Charged were a 59-year-old male, who also faces an additional count of attempted taking of a weapon from an officer; a 22-year-old male who is alleged to have pushed one officer using his full body weight and thrown an elbow at another officer once inside the building; a 22-year-old male who is alleged to have repeatedly pushed officers in a doorway, and fought with them for several minutes, and a 25-year-old male who is alleged to have repeatedly pushed officers, and charged at an officer in an attempt to dislodge him from his position.

The defendants’ names were not released.

According to a press release from the prosecutor’s office, the actions of the four who were charged “go far beyond” protected speech.

“No matter the context, the First Amendment does not protect assaultive conduct. Nor would denying charges within this category be in the interests of justice,” stated the release. “Intentional assaultive behavior towards officers — or sustained physical obstruction of the performance of their duties — crosses every conceivable line that might be drawn.”

Meanwhile, prosecutors declined to pursue charges against any of the approximately three dozen other individuals who were arrested that night for unlawfully entering and/or remaining in the Ruthven building as part of the planned “sit-in” protest at the office of university President Santa Ono. 

“The individuals involved were already arrested and were trespassed from Ruthven by the University for one year. To date, the individuals involved appear to have abided by that trespass order (which is still in effect),” the release said. “For individuals who engaged in non-assaultive civil disobedience, we believe that any internal University sanctions that may be pursued are sufficient at this time.”

In response, the TAHRIR Coalition, a pro-Palestinian alliance of more than 80 student organizations, issued a release denouncing the charges, and offering its account about the events of Nov. 17.

“U-M brought in police from more than ten (10) departments and allowed officers to violently brutalize and assault protestors, resulting in at least 31 reports of violent police misconduct. Incidents include slamming protestors to the ground and ripping off one protestor’s hijab,” alleged the group. “Now, (Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli) Savit has also chosen to target those who oppose israel’s (sic) genocide.”

The coalition called the charges an “intimidation tactic,” coming 25 days after protesters set up an encampment on the Ann Arbor campus, and just a day after demonstrators appeared outside the homes of U of M’s Board of Regents, including Chair Sarah Hubbard and Regent Jordan Acker.

“These charges are a direct result of the increased push for accountability that this powerful movement is demanding,” said the group, which called it an “egregious betrayal” of the progressive platform that Savit and Victoria Burton-Harris, the chief assistant prosecutor, were elected on in 2020.

The TAHRIR Coalition said its actions are the latest in what they called U of M’s “rich legacy of political movements,” including efforts to divest from South African apartheid in the 1970s and 80s.

“Despite the University’s continued attempts to intimidate and silence us for challenging their deeply unethical investments, we will persist until all charges are dropped and our University divests from israeli (sic) genocide and apartheid. Drop the charges, and divest now!”

In announcing the charges, Savit’s office sought to explain its decisions, acknowledging the emotions at play behind the protests seeking the university to divest its financial holdings of anything having to do with Israel.

“We are well aware that the violence in the Middle East and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza have caused tremendous pain and trauma in our community,” said the release, which noted that the decisions made were based solely on what the defendants did, not what they said or believed. 

“Community members should know that we are committed to protecting the right to peacefully protest, and fully committed to respecting constitutionally protected speech,” stated the release. ”Actions that cross the line into unlawful behavior, however, may be prosecuted in the future. That is particularly true (but not limited to) assaultive actions, destruction of property, or unlawful attempts to displace others from places where they have a right to be.”

Along those lines, the office said it continues to evaluate several charge requests involving alleged conduct that went beyond civil disobedience. 

Regardless, Savit’s office said that amidst the backdrop in which the protests were taking place, it understood that many in the community were grieving. 

“They feel unsafe and unseen. Across the country, Jewish and Muslim communities are being targeted by hateful, racist, and violent rhetoric,” said the statement. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. And we empathize with those grieving the horrific loss of life in Israel and Gaza, the plight of the hostages being held by Hamas — and the ongoing humanitarian crisis and pronounced human suffering in Gaza.”

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