ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Last week, Attorney General Dana Nessel charged 11 pro-Palestine protesters involved in the University of Michigan encampment on the Diag. On Friday, dozens showed up to rally in front of the 15th District Court in Ann Arbor calling on Nessel to drop the charges.
Two people are facing misdemeanor trespassing charges, seven are facing felony charges for obstructing a police officer, one is facing disturbing the peace and attempted ethnic discrimination misdemeanors and one is facing two charges of malicious destruction of personal property misdemeanors.
All the charges stem from the encampment at the Diag that lasted 30 days last spring to protest the Israel-Hamas war.
Previous coverage: Michigan pro-Palestinian encampment staying despite asks from university to leave
Twenty-four-year-old former University of Michigan student Josiah Walker is facing a misdemeanor charge for trespassing and was arraigned just hours before the rally began.
“I primarily think they’re politically motivated and that, you know, justice isn't the actual motivation behind them," he said regarding the charges.
Salma Hamamy graduated from Michigan last spring. She has family in the Gaza region that has been killed in the conflict and felt compelled to lead the encampment last spring. She is also facing a misdemeanor trespassing charge. She was at the encampment every day and was there the moment university police broke it up last may.
"They are not only trying prevent us from protesting but also punish us for protesting through these charges. It's an unprecedented rate of suppression, especially seeing these charges come from the Michigan state attorney general," Hamamy said.
Nessel said in a press release that the protesters had multiple warnings and chances to leave but did not comply.
The violence that erupted once campus police arrived to disperse the encampment is what also prompted Nessel to charge seven people with felonies.
"I think that it's the police that brought the violence to our encampment that day. They used a lot of aggression and excessive force against us," Sammie Lewis, who was at the encampment, said.
Watch our previous coverage of when police broke up the encampment on Michigan's campus below:
We reached out to the attorney general’s office, which said that charges in this case, like all others, are determined by reviewing the admissible evidence and applying the relevant law. We also reached out to the University of Michigan but did not hear back as of Friday.
Those that have been charged are expected back in court next month for arraignments, probable cause conferences and to possibly be sentenced.
