Nine charged in police breakup of pro-Palestinian camp at US university

ann arbor, michigan — Authorities have filed charges against nine people who are accused of trespassing or resisting police during the May breakup of a pro-Palestinian camp at the University of Michigan.

"The First Amendment does not provide a cover for illegal activity," Attorney General Dana Nessel said Thursday, a day after charges were filed in Washtenaw County. The camp on the Diag, known for decades as a site for campus protests, was cleared by police on May 21 after a month. Video posted online showed police using what appeared to be an irritant to spray people, who were forced to retreat. The university said the camp had become a threat to safety, with overloaded power sources and open flames. Nessel said two people were charged with trespassing, a misdemeanor, and seven more people were charged with trespassing as well as resisting police, a felony. Protesters have demanded that the school's endowment stop investing in companies with ties to Israel. But the university insists 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. U.

S. Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Detroit Democrat who supports the protesters, said the charges were "frivolous" and a "shameful attack" on the rights of students. Separately, Nessel said state prosecutors charged two people for alleged acts during a counterdemonstration on April 25, a few days after the camp was created. Nessel said authorities still were investigating spring protests at the homes of elected members of the university's governing board..