DETROIT — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday unsealed an indictment against eight pro-Palestinian activists accused of conspiring to run a criminal intimidation campaign against University of Michigan officials as they tried to force the university to cut its financial ties with Israel.
The indictment also describes acts of vandalism against some businesses operating in Michigan and against the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
US Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said: “In America, we govern by law, not by fear. These threats and alleged attempts to intimidate government officials, businesses and the Jewish Federation are anti-American. We will confront intimidation with justice.”
The document highlights several incidents that have made headlines in the past few years, including fake bloody bodies being placed on the lawn of an elected university board member, and spray-painting anti-Israel messages on 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 said. “They used the Internet and social media to broadcast their message to ensure their victims and others who support Israel heard their threats and commitment to continuing criminal activity.”
Six of the eight people named in the indictment are expected to make their first appearance Wednesday in federal court in Detroit. One person was arrested in Wisconsin and another was not in custody, said Gina Palaia of the US Attorney’s Office.
The Associated Press could not immediately reach any of the defendants or their lawyers for comment.
Since the war between Israel and Hamas, pro-Palestinian protesters have demanded that the University of Michigan endowment stop investing in companies with ties to Israel. But the university insisted it had no direct investments Less than $15 million They were placed with funds that may include companies in Israel. This is less than 0.1% of the total endowment.
In 2024, pro-Palestinian The camp on campus has been disinfected By police a month later and the university said it constituted a threat to public safety.