University of Michigan suspends anti-Zionist group for two years

‘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.’

By Dion J. Pierre, The Algemeiner

The University of Michigan has suspended an anti-Zionist group responsible for several infractions of school rules for a maximum period of two years, ending on its own terms a dispute with the group which started after Hamas’s massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones decided to suspend and revoke recognition of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) following an investigation of the group’s conduct that lasted several months, according to The Michigan Daily, the campus newspaper.

The university’s intention to discipline the group was first announced in November, with reports that an internal office had filed a complaint against it which, according to SAFE, alleged that a Nov. 17 sit-in violated school policies on peaceful assembly.

“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 university told The Daily in a statement which explained its decision.

“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.”

However, Jones issued glowing statements about SAFE in a letter which notified the group of its suspension, describing it as “instrumental” and having “a history on campus and impact as a legacy organization supporting Palestinian students.”

Jones also offered the group a chance to end its suspension early by agreeing to “work in good faith to complete the education and restorative measures outlined in this decision,” an opportunity of which SAFE can avail itself as soon as the winter of 2026.

In a statement, SAFE rejected any notion that the university offered grace and a chance to correct its behavior.

“While admin [sic] continued to attempt to repress and silence Palestine on campus, we know that the movement for liberation only grows stronger under attack,” it said, writing on Instagram.

“This ploy to isolate SAFE from the campus community will prove unsuccessful because admin fails to understand, yet again, that the demands for divestment and Palestinian liberation are part of a popular, mass movement.”

As previously reported by The Algemeiner, SAFE has long been a source of anti-Israel activity on campus.

In 2023, its members staged an anti-government protest against the former US presidential administration, represented by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who appeared at the school to discuss climate change.

They chanted “Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide, you’re committing genocide” and called for mass casualty events inspired by Islamist terrorism, screaming “There is only one solution: Intifada revolution” while waving Palestinian flags.

The student who appeared to be leading the demonstration condemned the Biden administration for approving aid to Israel, which she referred to as “the Zionist entity.”

In 2022, during observance of the Jewish New Year, SAFE erected an “apartheid wall” on campus and led an anti-Israel protest in front of it.

Some University of Michigan students approached the protesters and urged them to become fully apprised of the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, The Michigan Daily reported at the time.

Standing atop a nearby structure, they made a “thumbs-down” gesture when they perceived the protesters’ remarks as offensive or lacking nuance.

SAFE was also one of many anti-Zionist student groups which commandeered school property during the conclusion of the 2023-2024 academic school year and refused to surrender it unless the university agreed to boycott and divest from Israel.

It was nearly a month before the university cleared the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” erected on the occupied school grounds, during which both students and non-students destroyed school property, disrupted university business, and amassed outside the homes of school officials.

University officials are not the only ones resisting extreme anti-Zionism.

Last semester, members of the Central Student Government impeached and convicted former president Alifa Chowdhury — the controversial leader of the Anti-Zionist “Shut It Down” (SID) party who led a failed and unpopular effort to freeze funding for student clubs until school officials enacted a boycott of Israel — resulting in her removal from office.

Chowdhury had faced three charges in total: incitement to violence, defamation, and dereliction of duty, the last of which she was found guilty of on Dec. 23, according to a statement issued by the Central Student Judiciary (CSJ). Her vice president, Elias Atkinson, was convicted of the same offense.

Chowdhury’s anti-Zionist zealotry led her to allegedly commit several disqualifying acts which blighted her office and shocked her CSG representatives.

In the articles of impeachment filed by Rep. Margaret Peterman, the now-former president was described as having “gravely endangered” students — for example, by participating in a protest of CSG which led to threats and an assault by spitting — as well as the “integrity of the democratic system.”

She also failed to perform key functions of the presidency, including submitting reports, preparing committee members for their roles, and convening meetings with CSG’s executive council — a pattern of neglect which led to her conviction for dereliction of duty.

The takeover of CSG by Chowdhury’s party, SID, in March led to a historically dysfunctional administration, prompting the involvement of school officials at key moments when its brinksmanship threatened to derail core functions of the university.

In August, the administration resolved to fund student clubs over Chowdhury and SID’s objections, effectively stripping the new government of the power of the purse. Explaining the intervention to The Algemeiner at the time, university spokesperson Colleen Mastony said it was prompted by Chowdhury’s “senior” colleagues in the CSG Assembly.