FBI and Michigan criticised for raids on pro-Palestine students
Human rights activists and legal experts have condemned the FBI and the state of Michigan in the US for cracking down on pro-Palestine protesters, in what they describe as an over-the-top use of force, Middle East Eye reported on April 24th.
On April 23rd, the FBI and local agencies of law enforcement raided a number of homes of present and former US students who took part in the University of Michigan’s pro-Palestine protests.
Demonstrations have continued at the campus since Israel began its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas’s October 7th 2023 attacks. The protests have demanded that the university withdraw investments from firms tied to Israel or Israeli-linked organisations.
Dawud Walid, the executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, denounced the police actions as “aggressive.” He stated the raids were “politically motivated.” Walid also said that the raids damaged property and that people were handcuffed without charges during the process.
TAHRIR reported that authorities temporarily detained all residents and later released them. This stands as the toughest crackdown yet on student protesters in the area, Middle East Eye reported on April 23rd.
Attorney Amir Makled, representing some of the targeted students, called the raids a “witch hunt,” designed to prevent students from attending pro-Palestine protests. Makled declared this was “another intimidation tactic.”
Makled added: “I feel that this is another way to show an overreaching amount of force that’s highly unusual in an attempt to chill the speech of these students and dissuade others from being part of pro-Palestinian advocacy.”
Liz Jacob, staff attorney at Detroit’s Sugar Law Center, said she received a call at 7 a.m. from those impacted by the raids. She told the reporters that the raids were “targeting students who have been vocal about Palestine.”
Jacob declared they saw the search warrants and they failed to “include a reason for the warrants. No probable cause named. There have been no criminal charges made against the people impacted.”
She echoed Makled’s statement, noting the only connection between the Michigan students is “the fact they have advocated for Palestine.” She added: “It makes it hard to see it as anything but politically motivated.”
Middle East Eye
