Police use chemical spray, handcuff protesters, arrest nonstudent outside UM museum

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Ann Arbor — Police used a chemical spray to disperse a large crowd and handcuff pro-Palestinian protesters during a chaotic scene outside the University of Michigan Museum of Art on Friday night, according to videos posted on social media.

The incident occurred around 9 p.m. outside the museum on South State Street in downtown Ann Arbor, hours before UM was poised to celebrate the Class of 2024 during its commencement on Saturday at Michigan Stadium.

A dinner was held at the university art museum on Friday to recognize those set to receive honorary degrees during commencement, UM spokeswoman Colleen Mastony said Saturday.

"The dinner had ended, the attendees had departed, and police officers were removing barriers when the crowd pushed forward and converged," Mastony said. "The officers pushed the crowd back."

Videos of the incident, during which police can be heard shouting to the crowd to move and some in the crowd screaming, were captured by the TAHRIR Coalition, which is composed of more than 90 student organizations working for Palestinian liberation at UM.

"Are you proud of doing this instead of having a single meeting," one of the video captions says. The students were calling out for UM President Santa Ono and Regents Paul Brown, Jordan Acker and Sarah Hubbard, all of whom were believed to be meeting inside the museum. "You are traumatizing us."

The students carried poster boards and banners saying, "Free Free Palestine" and "No Funds for Genocide," and waving Palestinian flags. Some in the crowd could be heard saying "Get out!" and one person is seen waving his arm, motioning for the line of protesters that cut across the audience to move on.

"Ono, Ono you can't hide. You are funding genocide," the students chanted as they carried poster boards and banners saying, "Free Free Palestine" and "No Funds for Genocide," and waving Palestinian flags.

It's unclear how many were detained by Michigan State Police, who were deployed to the scene. Video shows chanters screaming "Let her go" as a student is handcuffed up against the museum's exterior windows. Others yelled for water and cried 'pepper spray!' UM and Ann Arbor Police said they could not comment. Michigan State Police could not immediately be reached.

"One person, who is not affiliated with the university, was arrested," Mastony said. "The campus has otherwise remained peaceful."

The incident comes after pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted UM's 101st Honors Convocation in March and set up an encampment two weeks ago on UM's diag as tensions have erupted on college campuses in Michigan and across the country amid the Israel-Hamas war. Student activists at UM and on across the country have stood with Palestinians against Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza that began Oct. 7, when Hamas launched attacks in southern Israel, abducted about 250 people and killed 1,200. Hamas has freed about 120 hostages. Israel's offensive has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, and driven hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation.

Jewish students and leaders have counter-protested, emphasizing Israel's right to defend itself against attack, and objected to the tone of criticism during the Israel-Hamas war, including accusations that Israel is committing genocide.

Many protests across the country have involved clashes between police and protesters, along with arrests. Until now, protests at UM and at Michigan State University have remained peaceful.

But students who are standing with Palestinians have been speaking out, as cease-fire and hostage-release talks between Israel and Hamas are at a critical moment and Israel may move its ground strike into Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza.

During UM's School of Public Health commencement Thursday, speaker Jodi-Ann Burey spoke out against the university's position to not divest in investments and endowments supporting Israel.

"The leaders of this university have decided that divestment and solidarity with Ukraine is more moral and more urgent than with the Palestinian people of Gaza," Burey said. "We are witnessing the most well-documented genocide in human history on our cellphones. Every issue you came to SPH to dedicate your career toward, maternal health, infectious disease prevention, non-communicable illness ... humanitarian aid is at a point of crisis in Gaza. ... Public health is political."

Israeli leaders have said they have conducted a legitimate defense of their people and not committed genocide. Israeli legal adviser Tal Becker told the United Nations' highest court in January that the country is fighting a "war it did not start and did not want" and that it is Hamas militants who are guilty of genocide.

The student activists have zeroed in on UM and MSU's endowments, demanding that millions of dollars be pulled from investments that they say benefit Israel. University officials argue that the investments at issue are through index funds and portfolios not directly controlled by the universities.

But leaders of UM and MSU said divestment won't happen because of policies that shield the endowments from political pressures. They also acknowledged having divested from certain companies in the past, depending on the issue.

Videos of the Friday night rally posted by student groups around 7 p.m. show state police officers lining the museum entrances with protesters chanting, "If we don't get it, shut it down." In a video posted by Jewish Voice for Peace, shows police pushing back protesters with metal guard railing to set up a perimeter.

The calls to protest have grown as a pro-Palestinian encampment continued in the heart of campus on the Diag.

Shortly after midnight, the encampment was quiet and the front of the museum was empty. Police casually patrolled and stood watch outside the encampment and around downtown as students walked home.

srahal@detroitnews.com

X: @SarahRahal_

Reporter Kim Kozlowski contributed.