4 arrested as police break up pro-Palestinian protest at University of Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (FOX 2) – A protest during a back-to-school event at the University of Michigan ended with four participants arrested on Wednesday.

According to the university, none of the people arrested were UM Ann Arbor students. Three of the people were not affiliated with UM and were released Wednesday, while one is a temporary employee who was released Thursday.

Protesters staged a demonstration in which they lay down on the ground in the Diag, pretending to be dead, as a way of protesting against the ongoing war in Gaza and calling on the university to divest from Israel.

“The protesters were calling for the University of Michigan to divest from its holdings in weapons manufacturers whose products are used to massacre Palestinians,” according to the TAHRIR Coalition, which encompasses more than 100 UM student groups.

The coalition organized the protest on the third day of the semester, during Festifall, a fair for student organizations held every fall.

According to the University of Michigan Police Department (UMPD), about 50 people participated in the demonstration, which disrupted the university event. Officers arrived and asked the protesters to disperse.

“For over an hour, they received multiple warnings making it clear they were blocking pedestrian traffic and violating university policy,” the university’s Public Safety Division said in a statement to FOX 2. “Most eventually dispersed, though some refused to leave and four people were arrested as a result.”

However, the TAHRIR Coalition said in a statement that the dispersal and arrests were violent, adding that police charged students, teachers and community members as they “peacefully gathered in Diag.”

Three protesters were reportedly grabbed and thrown to the ground.

University of Michigan faculty and staff for Justice in Palestine (FSJP) echoed the coalition’s claims about police violence during the demonstration in a statement posted on social media Thursday.

“The result of this belligerent attack by the UM police was that several protesters were seriously injured; one of them was hit in the head against the concrete by the police and two were sent to the emergency room,” according to the UM FSJP. “Two activists were attacked because of their racial identity.”

The university did not provide additional details as of Thursday afternoon and did not confirm any injuries or racial profiling by police.

In May, police forcibly broke up a month-long student encampment on Diag. Four protesters were arrested and at least two others had to be hospitalized.

Video published The TAHRIR Coalition showed police using pepper spray as protesters and officers clashed more than three months ago.

“Protests are welcome at the University of Michigan, as long as they do not infringe on the rights of others, disrupt university operations, or threaten the safety of the community,” according to the University of Michigan. “The university has been clear that we will enforce our policies related to protests and expressive activity, and that we will hold individuals accountable for their actions to ensure a safe and inclusive application for all.”

The latest incident, which occurred on Wednesday, is still under investigation.