TAHRIR Announcements

URGENT CALL TO DONATE‼️ bit.ly/support-ward-sheikh-khalil Help support Ward Jalal al-Sheikh-Khalil, the 5-year-old girl who survived the Fahmi al-Jarjawi School massacre in Gaza. On Monday, May 26th, an israeli airstrike targeted the school-turned-shelter, murdering 36 people where they slept and wounding 55 others. Ward's mother and five young siblings were martyred, while her father and brother remain in extremely critical condition. Footage of Ward's small silhouette trudging through the rubble and fire has since gone viral. Though she survived, she remains in a state of indescribable shock and trauma, as her future lies painfully uncertain. This fundraiser will provide Ward, her father, and her brother with the urgent care including medical treatment, food, psychological support, and a stable environment. Please donate and share widely.

Also: join the Drop the Charges campaign for a community conversation and taco-themed potluck on Sunday, May 25 at 5 PM to reflect on and celebrate our hard-fought victory of MI AG Dana Nessel dismissing all charges against the U-M Encampment 11. Let’s explore ways to strengthen our movement for a free Palestine in the face of state repression - what lessons can we draw as we move forward? RSVP at bit.ly/Dinner525 for location.

join us for a screening of the encampments at 6pm tonight @ cahoots cafe on the 1 yr anniversary of the umich gaza solidarity encampment raid, and to celebrate the dropping of all felony and misdemeanor charges! dinner provided, bring a friend🍔

UPDATE: Our three comrades facing charges in connection with UM Festifall have learned today that the Attorney General has dropped all of their charges! Court support originally planned for tomorrow at the 15th district court is therefore canceled. See one defendant's statement: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ4ySaExDdC/

In the wake of AG Nessel's announcement that she was dropping felony charges against pro-Palestine protesters from the UM Gaza solidarity encampment, we have since learned that her office has dropped misdemeanor charges against two remaining comrades from the encampment. However, there still remain three comrades charged by Nessel's office in relation to a die-in at UM's Festifall last August, where protesters said no back to school as normal while Gaza's universities have been reduced to rubble. The ongoing horrors in Gaza, enabled by our institutions' material support for a genocidal occupation, remind us of the necessity to heed Palestinians' call to action and to defend the movement in doing so. On Wednesday 5/21, a year since the raid on the encampment, there will be a hearing for one comrade still facing a misdemeanor charge from AG Nessel in connection with Festifall. This will be at the 15th district court (not 14A), on E Huron in Ann Arbor. Join us as we gather at 10:30am outside court (non-citizens take precautions as ICE has been known to appear at courthouses), and wear your keffiyeh as we pack the courtroom starting at 11am in support of our comrade. Drop all the charges, free them all, divest now!

ALL CHARGES AGAINST ENCAMPMENT 11 DROPPED THIS MORNING IN COURT! More details to come — today is a day for celebration! https://www.instagram.com/p/DJRieB6xBrY/?igsh=YjZsNTFpa2cxbjk0

This coming Monday, May 5 at 8AM at the 14-A1 Court, 4133 Washtenaw Avenue: join us for a press conference where we will hear from local faith leaders and witnesses to Nessel's recent raids. Together, we will demonstrate our solidarity with Palestine and with victims of state violence. Wear your keffiyeh and bring a sign or flag to be visible on Washtenaw Avenue. Coffee and breakfast will be available, after which we will attend a hearing of seven of the Encampment 11 at 9AM, where a judge will decide whether to recuse AG Nessel from the case due to anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias (or the appearance thereof). Court begins at 9am; follow TAHRIR on IG or X for live updates (court will also be streamed online at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-YeqwVIbArpKgbTLIQ_TXA). Because ICE has been present at courthouses, non-citizens are urged to take precautions.

This week's violent raids of our community members' homes and the recent incarceration of one of our comrades have heavily impacted our community. Join us for a community dinner and safe space this Sunday, April 27 @ 5:30PM to support each other and reaffirm that we keep us safe. The event will feature a presentation and information on collective and digital security practices. RSVP for location and sign up for food at bit.ly/427dinner

Join us today, 4/27 at 7 AM, at 2201 Hogback Rd, Ann Arbor to support our friend as they are released from Washtenaw County Jail. This follows Thursday’s court hearing for the UMich Encampment 11, where the defendant was sentenced to four days in jail for allegedly violating bond conditions that only permit them to be on campus for classes. Amidst finals and commencement, they were punished for being in Mason Hall between classes. Our strength is in our community, let’s all show up tomorrow morning in solidarity!

UPDATES ON RECENT FBI RAIDS @ umich While we continue to navigate the lack of clarity from Dana Nessel, the FBI, local police departments, and university administration, our priority right now is keeping each other safe. Check this post for basic Know Your Rights information, and check the linktree in SAFE’s bio for more detailed guidance. The Regents and UMich admin are responsible for the violent raids of our peers and friends homes today – by repeatedly targeting pro-Palestine activism across campus and attacking our movement, they set the scene for this unprecedented escalation carried out by Dana Nessel and the FBI. With every attack on our movement, they are only proving that this institution’s leadership will stop at nothing to serve their selfish, zionist, and racist interests. Every escalation only strengthens our resolve to fight for Palestine. Our duty right now is to our communities, to each other, and to Palestine. Stay tuned for more updates and community spaces soon. The struggle continues, until liberation and return. https://www.instagram.com/p/DI0P_Scgi56/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Police and FBI raid UMich pro-Palestine activists’ homes, detain and release six, confiscate electronic devices, and stall when asked to produce warrants. Contact: tahrircoalition@gmail.com ANN ARBOR, MI - Early this morning around 8:00 am, FBI agents, the Michigan State Police, and local police officers in unmarked vehicles arrived at the homes of University of Michigan pro-Palestine activists across Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Canton. Law enforcement officers confiscated electronics, questioned, and detained two activists, who were later released from their Ann Arbor residence. Officers from the Michigan Department of the Attorney General, the Plymouth Police Department, and the FBI raided an Ypsilanti residence, confiscating personal belongings, and detaining 4 individuals who were later released. The Canton Police Department and the FBI raided an additional residence in Canton, MI, detaining none. At first, officers refused to present warrants at the Ypsilanti raid. A communiqué from the City of Ypsilanti reads, “the FBI informed Chief Anderson that all inquiries regarding the execution of this warrant should be directed to the Attorney General’s Office.” ICE presence at the raids is unconfirmed as of yet. https://tahrirumich.org/statements/fbi

CALL TO ACTION: Pack the court this Thursday at 2:30pm in solidarity with encampment activists facing felony charges from State AG Dana Nessel. This is a silent demonstration - wear your kuffiyeh and bring a friend! Due to reports of heightened ICE targeting and surveillance at public court proceedings, we encourage noncitizens to not attend in person. A livestream link will be shared to tune into court virtually. Share widely! https://www.instagram.com/p/DIxDpxPPFrC/?igsh=MXhsdHRzMml2Njhqag==

We also have been hearing that ICE is intensifying its efforts in Washtenaw county. With ICE agents able to attend public court proceedings and apprehend anyone who is not a citizen (US born or naturalized), noncitizens attending court support will be at heightened risk in a court environment. We therefore encourage folks at high risk to consider staying home (supporting our comrades in other ways). Since this message may not reach everyone, we will have volunteers at court doing ICE watch so everyone in attendance can be notified quickly and there will be legal observers from the NLG there for the event in which someone is approached by ICE or law enforcement.

COURT UPDATE: There has been another change in the court timeline for the 7 among the Encampment 11 defendants facing felony charges. In March, we packed the court for the final day of preliminary examination testimony. The date at which the judge will decide whether to move the cases on toward trial, originally April 7 and then revised to May 5, has again been suspended to a potential later date TBD. Instead, this Thursday, April 24th there will be a motion hearing for the seven of the Encampment 11 charged with felonies. This court appearance will center around defense attorneys' motion to disqualify Dana Nessel from prosecuting the case due to her many biases and conflicts of interest (Nessel herself recently asked to be recused from a Hamtramck case, acknowledging the public perception that she is anti-Arab and anti-Muslim). There will not be a decision from the judge on whether defendants move on to trial; we are still waiting on the date for that court appearance. We must show up in force to support our comrades and show the state that the movement for Palestine won't back down in the face of repression. We'll meet at the 14A-1 district court (4133 Washtenaw Avenue) starting at 2:30, and folks are welcome to continue to come by throughout the afternoon. Light food and snacks will be provided. Drop the charges, free Palestine! 🇵🇸

WE’RE PUTTING ONO & THE REGENTS ON TRIAL TOMORROW! Join us on the Diag on Monday at 5:30pm to hear the People’s testimonies and evidence of Ono and the regents complicity in genocide, endangerment of our campus, and abuse of power.

ACT NOW: URGENT––CALL AND EMAIL BY 5PM TODAY: TELL U-M TO REINSTATE STAFF MEMBER Call and email HR and university leaders to stop this politically motivated attempt to silence pro-Palestinian voices! Email zap link: https://bit.ly/hrzapumich Phone zap guide: https://bit.ly/hrphonezapumich This week, a U-M full-time staff member was placed on leave pending a final decision regarding their employment status because of their involvement in a lawful protest in May of 2024, months before they were hired at the university. They have never faced any charges for their involvement, nor were any flags raised during this person’s hiring process, which included a routine background check. Nor were their supervisors consulted on these proceedings. This makes the termination of employment an unprecedented escalation to any alleged violation of University guidelines, robbing the staff member of their right to due process. This is a clear, and unacceptable violation of the staff member's right to free speech and employment protection, consistent with University's continued repression of any dissent.

Hey comrades! We know there's been a little bit of confusion about the next court date. Originally it was on Apr 7th (tomorrow), but now ‼️the next court date is May 5th‼️ Keep an eye out for a more official announcement soon.

Great to see everyone at court yesterday and the attendance on YouTube! Great work everyone on making court support happen and continue to happen. The fight for a free Palestine, via mutual aid, protest, court support, holding genocidaires accountable, BDS…

Great to see everyone at court yesterday and the attendance on YouTube! Great work everyone on making court support happen and continue to happen. The fight for a free Palestine, via mutual aid, protest, court support, holding genocidaires accountable, BDS, and every other avenue continues while Palestinians lead in their ongoing revolutionary struggle to fight for and rebuild their homes. Palestine will be free and all the prison walls will fall! Court yesterday consisted of the assistant attorney general feeding the pigs (witnesses) their lines, trying to disparage the collective movement and cast blame on individuals for bullshit charges. The pigs made it clear that they love violence and power above all else while the defendant’s lawyers were quick to point out their contradictions and lies. We will be back at the courthouse April 7 at 9 am (show up 8:30) for the judge to decide if this case merits moving to the next stage or if the charges can be thrown out. He could potentially choose to dismiss some people’s charges and move forward others, as another way to diminish our collective power. Please stay tuned as the court often changes dates and times last minute. See you there!