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June 12, 2026 ~ Craig Mauger breaks down the indictment tied to threats against University of Michigan leaders and the political connections, raising new questions.
ANN ARBOR ~ A Muslim rights group condemned federal charges laid on eight pro-Palestinian activists associated with the University of Michigan, who are accused of making threats during a campaign to divest university funds from Israel.
Federal prosecutors unsealed indictments against mostly former students and employees at U-M, who are accused of making threats towards school leaders and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan, along with acts of vandalism and using encrypted messengers to plan these actions. The alleged actions date back to October 2023.
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations expressed concerns of potential blurring of the lines of free speech and criminal activities.
“Based on its review, the charging document appears to include extensive references to broader political events, protected viewpoints, and advocacy activity that are not, in themselves, the conduct for which the defendants are being prosecuted,” CAIR-MI said in a statement. “The inclusion of such material risks transforming what should be a focused criminal charging document into a narrative that unnecessarily associates protected political advocacy with criminality.“
