For U-M pro-Palestinian protesters, consequences linger after charges were dropped

Pro-Palestinian activists at the University of Michigan say that even after state criminal charges tied to 2023 and 2024 campus protests were dropped by the Michigan Attorney General's office, consequences including campus bans, job terminations and disciplinary records have persisted. Salma Hamamy, arrested among 40 students at a November 2023 sit-in, was barred from campus for a year and says the charges functioned as a political tactic regardless of their outcome.

Eaman Ali, a 2025 graduate, says she was suspended from her campus job, then terminated along with eight others; the university says the firings were for violent conduct, which the fired workers' attorneys dispute in a pending federal lawsuit. Ali also says she faces disciplinary charges and a hiring ban affecting her job search in Michigan.

The university declined to comment on allegations it criminalized protest, citing ongoing litigation. The state attorney general's office says none of those charged were charged for protesting itself, only for conduct like trespassing and resisting police.

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