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Struggle and Solidarity: Writing Toward Palestinian Liberation
Democratic anti-Trump warriors are common with the social gathering base — and so they understand it. On Wednesday, Might 7, Michigan’s Democratic Lawyer Basic Dana Nessel put out a strongly worded press release decrying the most recent “appalling Supreme Courtroom determination” in favor of President Donald Trump’s ban on trans individuals within the navy. The day before today, Nessel’s workplace had introduced it could be a part of another in a string of lawsuits in opposition to the Republican administration over its abuse of presidential powers to override states and dismantle federal rules.
This continues a gradual drumbeat of opposition to Trump and the Republican administration that Nessel and different Democrats have been selling — besides with regards to Palestine.
On Palestine, the Michigan lawyer common has sung fairly a unique tune. Since 2024, Nessel’s workplace has been concerned in deploying more and more repressive techniques in opposition to pro-Palestine activists in Michigan, most lately supporting and collaborating with Trump’s FBI to raid several homes of pro-Palestinian protestors in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Canton on April 23. Nessel joins Democrats throughout the nation like New York City Mayor Eric Adams and former President Joe Biden in staking out a place on this type of dissent that’s dangerously much like Trump’s.
The self-professed resistance to Trump from Democrats is meaningless after they’re capitulating on Palestine and collaborating with police and federal regulation enforcement to close down protests and frighten dissenters. This habits, which predated the Trump administration, now locations them squarely in Trump’s nook, makes them lively collaborators in rising authoritarianism, and undermines belief with core constituencies who’re the probably to be criminalized and focused by Trump: immigrants, Arab Individuals, Muslims, Black individuals, and queer and trans individuals.
Whereas Nessel’s workplace claimed the April raids involving a number of regulation enforcement companies have been unrelated to earlier anti-genocide protests on the College of Michigan campus, the acknowledged cause for the raids didn’t add up, both. The Lawyer Basic’s Workplace said it was investigating acts of vandalism, but then confiscated electronics, interrogated activists and arrested nobody. Nessel estimated $100,000 in damage from this supposed vandalism at unnamed places — implying that her workplace has tallied the price of all of the pro-Palestine spray paint unfold throughout Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and metro Detroit over the past yr, and is utilizing this tally to make a case for invading the properties of a number of grassroots anti-genocide activists. Monitoring down taggers seems to be extra of a pretense than an precise follow.
“Vandalism is a petty misdemeanor. Even whether it is vandalism, why is the AG concerned? Why is she no more involved with numerous the opposite points which might be unfolding in our nation and in our state?” stated a campus organizer who spoke to Truthout on situation of anonymity.
Nessel had already made her place identified in September 2024 when she filed prices in opposition to encampment demonstrators at College of Michigan after being urged to take action by members of the college’s highly effective Board of Regents. As The Guardian reported, her workplace took the very uncommon step of bypassing native regulation enforcement who had both declined to deliver prices in opposition to Gaza protesters or dropped prices after the very fact. The Guardian’s investigation discovered intensive monetary and private ties between Nessel and several other of essentially the most pro-Israel regents on the College of Michigan board.
In one more twist, on Might 5, Nessel’s workplace dropped charges against 7 out of 11 demonstrators whom her workplace had charged over the Might 2024 encampment on the college. That got here simply two days after a small airplane flew in circles over the College of Michigan’s large commencement ceremony, pulling a banner that stated “No Universities Left in Gaza. Nessel Drop the Prices.” Nessel’s press release Monday claimed the fees have been dismissed due to “distractions and ongoing delays” making a “circus-like environment.” Put one other approach: These political arrests backfired.
“All of us need to resolve how these prices occurred within the first place,” stated Drin MacKeen-Shapiro, one of many demonstrators whose prices have been dropped. “The AG’s conduct on this has been totally unethical, corrupt and solely designed to crush pro-Palestine speech within the state, particularly on the order of the College of Michigan regents.”
MacKeen-Shapiro, a 22-year-old who graduated from the College of Michigan final weekend, was put back in jail for four days in April on an alleged bond violation after a non-public safety agency adopted him between courses and “caught” him going outdoors of the strict limits he’s been given for being current on campus throughout his final days as a scholar. He was relieved that his prices have been dropped, however sad to see Nessel persevering with to focus on different protestors.
“The FBI raids display the full cooperation between Dana Nessel’s workplace and the Trump administration, who’re united on this challenge of crushing the anti-genocide motion throughout the nation,” he informed me. “As soon as once more we see that Dems and Republicans are two sides of the identical coin on this challenge, notably Trump and Dana Nessel.”
One other demonstrator whose felony prices have been dropped, Sammie Lewis, says they’re nonetheless frightened about what’s subsequent on this surroundings of escalating repression. They adopted how dozens of #StopCopCity activists in Atlanta have been rounded up and charged under RICO (federal racketeering) laws, in that case by Republican State Lawyer Basic Chris Carr.
“I’m pondering rather a lot about Atlanta and Cease Cop Metropolis and the ways in which protesters have been grouped collectively by bizarre associations, and the case will not be robust, however they charged lots of people,” Lewis stated. “I really feel like I can’t let my guard down and luxuriate in this victory. It’s a battle received, however the battle remains to be going. And naturally, we’re nonetheless preventing for Palestinian liberation.”
Nessel, whose workplace didn’t reply to a request for remark from Truthout, supplies an excessive instance, however there may be nothing uncommon about her stance. Many Democrats are vocally against authoritarian techniques except the problem is Palestine. For instance, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who pushed for Los Angeles to change into a “sanctuary metropolis,” has concurrently been vocal in her help for hyperpolicing of Gaza protests within the metropolis, even because the LAPD and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have escalated their violence in opposition to demonstrators.
This inconsistency displays the bigger hypocrisy of the various Democrats who’re “progressive apart from Palestine”: Even Cory Booker, lately championed for his 25-hour anti-Trump speech on the Senate flooring, couldn’t deliver himself to vote to stop billions in funding to the Israeli military in April.
Permitting and inspiring authoritarian repression round Palestine will not be solely a slippery slope but additionally an unpopular stance that protects energy and place slightly than the need of the individuals; polling in 2024 and early 2025 constantly confirmed a majority of voters and a supermajority of Democrats help a ceasefire and an arms embargo on Israel if that ceasefire was violated. To look again on the previous for less than a second, the ethical and political failure to face with Gaza could have misplaced Democrats the nationwide election. However wanting ahead, we will solely hope Democrats will discover a ethical and political middle that isn’t “oppose repression besides on Palestine” or “help free speech apart from Palestine.” That is weak point and hypocrisy once we want fearless management and solidarity.
The present Republican administration is useless set on utilizing native police, the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to silence dissent, an intention they’re making zero effort to cover. By approving these techniques with regards to pro-Palestine protesters, Democrats have helped create the wedge that Republicans will now use to divide us all, cleaving off essentially the most weak and permitting them to be disappeared and deported whilst politicians challenge press releases “decrying” the administration. Lawyer Basic Nessel and her supporters would do effectively to reverse course, drop all remaining prices in opposition to protesters and withdraw from all collaborations with Trump’s machine of criminalization.
Within the face of Trump’s threats, we’ll by no means capitulate.
At this second, we’re witnessing a terrifying array of anti-democratic techniques to silence political opposition, improve surveillance and develop authoritarian attain.
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