Wayne State faces backlash after police confront peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters
The university’s handling of pro-Palestinian activists has repeatedly come under fire
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Wayne State University is under fire again after campus police confronted pro-Palestinian students during a peaceful demonstration inside the Student Center, the latest in a series of increasingly aggressive crackdowns on dissenting voices.
The April 2 protest, organized by Students for Justice in Palestine, called on the university to divest from companies profiting from the war in Gaza. It began with banners, posters, and chants urging the Board of Governors to take up a long-ignored divestment resolution that student leaders have pushed since Israel began bombing Palestinians in October 2023.
But within minutes of the protest, police disrupted the demonstration, according to protesters and video footage posted on social media. One female student attempting to speak with a university official was physically grabbed by an officer, prompting a confrontation between police and other demonstrators. Another student was reportedly grabbed in a stairwell after a verbal exchange with police.
Officers also blocked visibly Muslim students, including women in hijabs and others wearing keffiyehs, from entering the building, regardless of their involvement in the demonstration.
Two journalists with press credentials were also denied access.
In a written response to Metro Times, Wayne State University disputed the characterization of the protest, saying the students had not reserved space in the Student Center and were disrupting the activities of “dozens of students.”
“WSU police responded, calmly asking them to remove the banners and lower their voices,” the university said. “Although protestors were welcomed to remain, their continued disruption led the police to escort them from the building.”
The university added that officers “professionally and appropriately implemented university policy” and emphasized that “while free expression is a fundamental right, protesters also have a responsibility to follow reasonable university guidelines regarding space usage and disruption.”
Students for Justice in Palestine is calling on students and others to get involved.
“The physical treatment of students, particularly those remaining calm and seeking dialogue, is unacceptable,” the group said in a statement Wednesday. “Even more disturbing is the silence of bystanders, who watched as their peers, especially young women, were physically confronted by campus officials. In today’s climate, where students are facing increased repression for speaking truth to power, we call on our fellow classmates not to look away. Performative allyship, likes, shares, and passive support means nothing if we stay silent in the face of injustice.”
This is not the first time Wayne State has been accused of suppressing pro-Palestinian voices on campus. In March, campus police prevented a group of students and professors from holding a previously permitted vigil and pop-up medical clinic outside the university’s medical school. Despite not impeding traffic or violating any university policies, the group was told to disperse. The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan intervened, warning the university that its inconsistent space-use policies were chilling constitutionally protected speech.
Since last spring, the university has drawn sharp criticism for its treatment of protesters. On May 30, 2024, police in riot gear raided a peaceful protest encampment, arrested several demonstrators, and tackled students as they complied with orders to leave. At least one woman’s hijab was ripped off in the process.
A month earlier, officers forcibly removed students from a Board of Governors meeting, prompting more than 100 faculty and staff members to sign a letter condemning the “racist assault” on peaceful demonstrators.
Faculty members have since called for President Kimberly Espy to resign, citing a loss of confidence in her leadership. Some even considered organizing a no-confidence vote, arguing that her administration has used police force to suppress peaceful activism and silence students demanding divestment from companies tied to Israel.
The university has also been accused of dodging public accountability. In June, the Board of Governors moved its public meeting online and shifted the public comment period to the end of the session, a move that students say was clearly designed to avoid dissent.
Despite mounting criticism and growing protests, university officials have declined to seriously consider a divestment resolution, even after promising to do so.
Students planned another demonstration Wednesday at 3 p.m. in front of the “W” sculpture on campus, calling for divestment, the release of detained student activists, and the establishment of an ICE-free sanctuary zone at Wayne State.
“Let this be a wake-up call, not just for Wayne State, but for students everywhere,” Students for Justice in Palestine said. “We urge our peers to find courage, even if it feels late. It is never too late when justice has not yet been served.”
