20 | APRIL 11 • 2024 
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N

I

n the weeks leading up to finals and gradua-
tion, Jewish students and communal leaders 
at the University of Michigan claim that in the 
name of free speech, the campus administration 
is tolerating disruptive hate-filled protests aimed 
at Jews. They say this level of hostility bordering 
on violence would not be tolerated if it were 
directed at any other minority. 
Anti-Israel rhetoric and messaging permeates 
nearly every corner of the Ann Arbor campus. 
There are posters in dormitory and classroom 
halls and campus buses accusing Israel of geno-
cide. Students openly walk around campus wear-
ing T-shirts that describe Israel as a “Garbage” 
and “
Apartheid state.
” “Zionism = Racism” is 
often scrawled in chalk on the Diag. 
The hate is steeling the resolve of many Jewish 
students who say they have never wanted to be 
more involved in their Jewish campus life. 
However, two events in late March sent the 
anti-Jewish climate on campus to a tipping point. 

ANTI-ISRAEL INCIDENTS ESCALATE
On Friday, March 22, Salma Hamamy, a senior 
and the president of Students Allied for Freedom 
and Equality (SAFE), the school’s version of 
Students for Justice in Palestine, stated on her 
Instagram page: “Until my last breath I will utter 
death to every single individual who supports 
the Zionist state. Death and more. Death and 
worse.
” 
The administration increased security patrols 
on campus in recognition of the severity of the 
threat, but no other consequences seem to have 
transpired for Hamamy’s actions. 
In January of 2023, Hamamy and members 
of SAFE led a protest on campus calling for an 
“Intifada Revolution.
” Since the beginning of 
Hamas’ war with Israel, Hamamy, SAFE and 
other organizations have been shouting this 
slogan in marches for months. They accuse the 
university of genocide. They disrupt foot traffic, 
block entrances to buildings and overtake cam-

Campus Chaos 
 in Ann Arbor

Increasing anti-Israel 
protests leave students 
angry and feeling unsafe.

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY

Pro-Palestinian 
protesters disrupt 
foot traffic around 
campus. This 
protest occurred 
on March 28.

