‘Only One Solution: Intifada:’ Pro-Palestinian Activists Protest Kamala Harris at University of Michigan
Pro-Palestinian protestors at University of Michigan. Photo: Brendan Gutenschwager/Twitter
Pro-Palestinian student protestors at University of Michigan accused Vice President Kamala Harris of “genocide” for supporting Israel on Thursday.
“Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide, you’re committing genocide,” the students, members of the pro-Palestinian campus group Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE), can be seen chanting in footage posted by independent journalist Brendan Gutenschwager.
During the so-called “Emergency Demonstration,” they also chanted “There is only one solution: Intifada revolution” while waving Palestinian flags, and a student who appeared to be leading it condemned the Biden administration for approving aid to Israel, which she referred to as “the Zionist entity.”
Vice President Harris was at University of Michigan to speak at an event about climate change, which according to its description, had no connection to Israel or the Middle East. Former Michigan Governor and Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, as well as University of Michigan Professor Kyle Whyte, were also in attendance.
SAFE has courted controversy on campus before. In October, during observance of the Jewish New Year, it erected an “apartheid wall” on campus and led an anti-Israel protest in front of it.
Some University of Michigan students approached the protestors and urged them to become fully apprised of the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, The Michigan Daily, a campus newspaper, reported at the time. Standing atop a nearby structure, they made a “thumbs-down” gesture when they perceived the protestors’ remarks as offensive or lacking nuance.
The university was also flagged in a report by StopAntisemitism, a US-based nonprofit, for being hostile to Jews and indifferent to their safety.
StopAntisemitism noted that Jews are excluded from the university’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and that several BDS resolutions have passed its student government bodies.
Jewish students there “do feel comfortable identifying as Jewish but do not feel safe expressing their support for Israel and often feel they are held responsible for the actions of Israel,” the report said.
In November, an unidentified male assaulted a student after crossing paths with her on campus. According to a security alert issued by the university, he snatched her by the arm and made antisemitic statements.
The University of Michigan Police Department later closed its investigation of the incident, citing “a lack of leads.”