Feds: 8 Pro-Palestinian activists conspired to intimidate U-M officials

Federal prosecutors have unsealed an indictment against eight pro-Palestinian activists
They’re accused of conspiring to run a criminal intimidation campaign against U-M officials while trying to force the school to cut financial ties to Israel
The indictment describes vandalism against companies and against the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit

DETROIT — Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment Wednesday against eight pro-Palestinian activists who are accused of conspiring to run a criminal intimidation campaign against University of Michigan officials while trying to force the school to cut financial ties to Israel.

The indictment also describes vandalism against some companies that operate in Michigan and against the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

“In America, we rule by law not by fear. These alleged threats and attempts to terrorize government officials, businesses, and the Jewish Federation are anti-American. We will counter intimidation with justice,” said US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr.

The document highlights several incidents that made headlines in the past few years, including fake bloody corpses that were placed on an elected university board member’s lawn and the spray-painting of anti-Israel messages at the home of the school’s president at the time, Santa Ono.

“They marked their victims with threatening symbols used by Hamas, including red inverted triangles and red handprints,” the indictment states.

Related:

“They used the internet and social media to broadcast their message to ensure their threats and commitment to continuing criminal activity were heard by their victims and others who support Israel.”

Six of the eight people named in the indictment were expected to make initial appearances Wednesday in federal court in Detroit. One person was arrested in Wisconsin and another was not in custody, said Gina Balaya of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The Associated Press couldn’t immediately reach any of the defendants or their attorneys for comment.

Since the Israel-Hamas war, pro-Palestinian protesters have demanded that the University of Michigan’s endowment stop investing in companies with ties to Israel. But the university has insisted it has no direct investments and less than $15 million placed with funds that might include companies in Israel. That’s less than 0.1% of the total endowment.

In 2024, a pro-Palestinian camp on campus was cleared by police after a month. The university said it was a threat to public safety.

Thank you to our Education Watch sponsors

Bridge Michigan Education Watch is made possible by generous financial support from our sponsors. Sponsorship supports our independent journalism mission but does not constitute sponsor endorsement of individual articles or editorial content. Bridge Michigan journalism remains fact- and data-driven and independent at all times.

Please visit the About page for more information and to subscribe to Education Watch. Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact Emma Carr.