ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A group of Arab American and Muslim leaders are calling for Attorney General Dana Nessel to reconsider the charges against the pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Michigan.
“Our students are not criminals, they are leaders,” said Rex Nazarko, the executive director of the American Muslim Engagement and Empowerment Network.
Nine people are facing charges, including trespassing and resisting or obstructing a police officer.
“She is sending a very alarming message to intimidate and suppress people from expressing their views freely, especially the students who are our future,” said Imad Hamad, the executive director of the American Human Rights Council.
The charges stem from when police moved in to clear the encampment on the Ann Arbor campus last May.
Nessel said the students disobeyed police orders to leave and “physically obstructed the police and pushed against their bodies.”
“The charges are unprecedented. It is not usual that an attorney general brings felony charges while bypassing municipal authorities in the process,” Nazarko said.
The AG’s office said last week that Washtenaw County accepted their offer to review any pending cases related to protest activity.
The same offer was made to Wayne, Oakland, and Ingham counties as well.
Hamad said the charges were politically motivated and should be dropped.
“We are in touch with the students. We are in touch with the parents. And the students themselves, they are angry, and they’re taken by it. Their heart is broken.”
The AG’s office responded to Local 4’s request for comment.
“Charges in this case, like all others, are determined by reviewing the admissible evidence and applying the relevant law. Politics do not play a part in the process. Accusations to the contrary only serve to deflect the focus from the defendants and onto the AG,” an AG spokesperson said. Two others were also charged last week related to counter-protests at the University of Michigan.”