Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel was met with boos and chants of “Drop the charges” at the Michigan Democratic Party Convention in Detroit on Saturday as pro-Palestinian party members protested her prosecution of activists at the University of Michigan.
The tense moment occurred during the Sixth Congressional District meeting at the Renaissance Center, where U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell introduced Nessel to the room. While many in the crowd cheered, other Democratic Party members erupted in jeers, chanting for about a minute as Dingell struggled to regain control.
The demonstration was in response to Nessel’s decision in September to file misdemeanor and felony charges against 12 activists following pro-Palestinian protests on the University of Michigan campus. The protesters, including students and alumni, had set up an encampment and demanded the university divest from companies with ties to Israel.
Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit had declined to pursue most charges against the activists, but Nessel stepped in at the request of university officials. Members of the U-M Board of Regents, who pushed for harsher penalties, had also contributed to Nessel’s campaigns, according to a Guardian investigation.
The ACLU of Michigan criticized Nessel for what it called an “excessive” response to the protests and also sued the University of Michigan for banning protesters from campus.
Kristine Abouzahr, a Democratic Party member from Ann Arbor who jeered Nessel, called the clash “a powerful moment for those of us who have been supporting the young people and advocating for the charges to be dropped.”
“We were happy to be there and join in when the opportunity to call her out presented itself,” Abouzahr said. “And our message got across loud and clear, very loud and clear.”
Sammie Lewis, one of the eight activists slapped with felonies, called Nessel’s charges “baseless, racist, and politically motivated.”
“I am heartened that those who protested at the MDP recognize this as well, and that the fight for divestment and for Palestinian liberation continues onward,” Lewis said. “It is within our first amendment right to protest, but it is our responsibility to oppose genocide. As defendants we maintain our innocence, as we are truly on the right side of history and we will not stop fighting until we are victorious and Palestine is free.”
In September, Nessel defended the charges, arguing that while free speech and assembly are protected, protesters must be held accountable when they violate the law.
“Conviction in your ideals is not an excuse for violations of the law,” Nessel said. “A campus should not be lawless; what is a crime anywhere else in the city remains a crime on university property.”
Following the confrontation, Nessel “stormed out of the room, her face flushed,” according to witness Mo Torres.
As Nessel left, a Palestinian American woman approached the attorney general.
“Do you know how many people have been killed, Dana Nessel?” the woman asked Nessel. “Why do you choose to prosecute people who are trying to stop a genocide? Do you have a heart? Do you have a soul?”
Nessel did not respond and left the venue surrounded by aides and what appeared to be security personnel.
Asked for a comment on the clash, Nessel’s office referred Metro Times to the attorney general’s campaign. We are still awaiting a response.
The protest at the convention reflects growing tensions within the Michigan Democratic Party over the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Gaza war. Michigan is home to the largest Arab American populations in the country and has seen a surge in pro-Palestinian activism in the past year, with demonstrators calling for a ceasefire and an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.
Israel’s attacks in Gaza have killed nearly 50,000 Palestinians since October. 7, 2023.
The TAHRIR Coalition, which has been advocating for charges to be dropped, applauded the actions of Democratic Party members at the convention and renewed its call for Nessel to end what it described as a “politically motivated crusade” against pro-Palestinian activists.
“If the Michigan Democratic Party and Representative Dingell truly want to save democracy, they must demand Nessel and the U-M Board of Regents stop using Trump-like tactics of persecuting political enemies, criminalizing protest, and dismantling due process,” the coalition said in a statement.
Nessel, the first Jewish person elected as Michigan’s attorney general, has faced criticism from progressives and civil rights advocates who argue that her actions could set a dangerous precedent for prosecuting peaceful protests.
During the convention, former state Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. was named chair of the party.
