A pro-Palestinian group at the University of Michigan has been suspended for two years and will lose its funding in connection with protesters' demands for divestiture from companies doing business with Israel.
Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, also known as SAFE, was accused of violating the university's standards of conduct for recognized student organizations following a protest last spring outside a regent’s home and a demonstration without school permission on its Ann Arbor campus.
Tensions over the Israel-Hamas war led to emotional demonstrations on U.S. campuses, including a wave of pro-Palestinian tent encampments that led to about 3,200 arrests.
The war was sparked by an Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel in which Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for aggressive action to fight antisemitism on college campuses and promising to prosecute offenders and revoke visas for international students found to be “Hamas sympathizers.”
The University of Michigan's sanctions against SAFE were handed down nearly two weeks earlier, on Jan. 16. The group also is prohibited from reserving university spaces. It has until next Thursday to appeal.
The suspension could be lifted earlier than two years if the group satisfies all the sanctions against it and meets with school officials to discuss the university's decision and the awareness of policies for student organizations. However, that could occur no sooner than winter 2026.
“Protests are welcome at U-M, so long as those protests do not infringe on the rights of others, significantly disrupt university events or operations, violate policies or threaten the safety of the community," the school said in a statement. "The university has been clear that we will enforce our policies related to protests and expressive activity, and that we will hold individuals and student organizations accountable for their actions in order to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all.”
The Associated Press left several email messages seeking comment with SAFE and with its national umbrella organization, Students for Justice in Palestine, on Friday.
Last May, protesters wearing masks pitched tents and placed fake bloody corpses outside the Okemos home of University of Michigan board member Sarah Hubbard.
Okemos is a community 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of the Ann Arbor campus. Hubbard said at the time that about 30 people were involved in the 6 a.m. demonstration.
“They approached my home and taped a letter to my front door and proceeded to erect the tents. A variety of other things were left in the front yard,” Hubbard told The Associated Press. “They started chanting with their bullhorn and pounding on a drum in my otherwise quiet neighborhood.”
The protesters left 30 to 45 minutes later when Meridian Township police arrived, Hubbard said. No arrests were made.
A few days later police wearing helmets and face shields broke up a pro-Palestinian encampment on the Ann Arbor campus. Charges later were filed against nine people who were accused of trespassing or resisting police during the break-up of the camp.
Protesters wanted the school’s endowment to stop investing in companies with ties to Israel. The university has insisted that it has no direct investments.