Michigan Drops Charges Against Pro-Palestine Student Protesters at University of Michigan
Michigan (Quds News Network)- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has dropped all charges against seven University of Michigan students arrested during a 2024 pro-Palestine and anti-genocide protest on campus.
The students had faced charges of trespassing and resisting or obstructing police during the clearing of an encampment at the University of Michigan Diag, a central park space on the Ann Arbor campus.
The encampment was part of a month-long protest urging the university to divest from companies linked to Israel amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza. At its peak, the protest included about 60 tents and perimeter fencing.
In a statement released Monday, Nessel said her office made the charging decision based on the evidence but has now decided to dismiss the cases. She blamed delays, distractions, and a “circus-like” atmosphere in court proceedings.
“I stand by those charges and that determination,” Nessel said. “But I no longer believe these cases to be a prudent use of my department’s resources.”
Nessel criticized baseless allegations of bias and a motion for the judge’s recusal, which she described as a “diversionary tactic.” She said the delays have undermined the integrity of the process.
The protest was part of a broader wave of pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations across the U.S. following Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, which have killed dozens of thousands of native Palestinians and sparked global outrage.
