This is a letter signed by hundreds of students and community members in Southeast Michigan demanding that Attorney General Dana Nessel drop the charges she slapped on members of the University of Michigan Gaza Solidarity Encampment. Nessel’s criminalization of protest shamefully seeks to protect U-M’s investments in the genocide of Palestinians—and also reflects Nessel’s personal and financial ties to the Regents themselves, as The Guardian recently reported.

Attorney General Nessel,

We write to demand the immediate dropping of the felony and misdemeanor charges against eleven pro-Palestine protestors associated with the University of Michigan Gaza Solidarity Encampment. These charges are legally absurd, racist, and motivated by political self-interest. As such, they are an unjustified and unprecedented escalation against a movement advocating for divestment from genocide and for Palestinian life and liberation.

Your press release suggests these cases were pursued due to their supposed multijurisdictional nature; however, the charges only involve a single jurisdiction. Your justification is a lie. Further, these charges appear to be motivated by your relationships to the Regents at the University of Michigan, six of whom have donated to your election campaign prior to requesting these horrifying charges against protestors – a clear conflict of interest. If that weren’t enough, your history of anti-Palestinian bias raises serious concerns about your ability to act as a fair arbiter in this situation. You have previously condemned Representative Rashida Tlaib for her pro-Palestinian advocacy, distorting her words to fit your racist narrative. Furthermore, your actions have been praised by sites like Canary Mission, which target and harass pro-Palestinian activists. These facts indicate that the charges are politically motivated rather than grounded in any legitimate legal rationale.

Instead of delivering justice for the victims of the Flint water crisis, which has poisoned thousands of lives, you have brought up these unjust charges. By targeting protestors advocating for human rights, you divert attention from pressing issues that demand your office’s focus.

The protestors represent a broad coalition of students and community members who reflect a popular opinion across local, state, national, and global levels. Calls for a ceasefire and restrictions on weapon transfers to israel resonate with many who support justice and peace.

The UMich Gaza Solidarity Encampment was established to demand divestment from a war machine that contributes to atrocities in Gaza, including the destruction of healthcare and sanitation infrastructure, mass starvation, and the deliberate targeting of civilians. Punishing individuals for expressing horror at these events contradicts our shared humanity and the sanctity of life.

The violence perpetrated by the police during the raid on the encampment highlights the systemic repression of dissent. Armed with riot gear and chemical agents, the University of Michigan Police Department violently dismantled the camp, injuring protestors and destroying personal property. This brutality contradicts the university’s stated commitment to student safety and well-being, especially when it is juxtaposed against their inaction regarding the systemic violence inflicted upon Muslims and communities of color. Additionally, this unjustified aggression contradicts the history of divestment movements and the tradition of protest at the University of Michigan. 

Your office’s actions in charging these protestors is a blatant example of the “Palestine exception,” which suspends the protection of free speech when it regards Palestine. We are outraged at what we are witnessing: collusion between the state and university to silence dissenting voices. By bringing these charges, you are placing the rights to assemble, protest, and speak freely on trial. 

We demand that you drop these charges and recognize the righteous cause behind the protests. The movements to end apartheid and fight for justice are historically significant and worthy of support, not suppression.