Eleven people, including six students, were indicted Wednesday for instances of alleged vandalism at Case Western Reserve University for graffiti in November 2024 protesting the war in Gaza and the university's investments in Israel.
A pro-Palestinian student advocacy group on Case Western Reserve University’s campus, Students for Justice in Palestine, Thursday called the indictments an example of "prosecutorial overreach," alleging the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office and the university were "exaggerating the costs of the damages in order to enforce excessively high punishments" against students critical of the university and Israel.
"The university has openly demonstrated how far it will go to punish dissidents of the university's complicity in genocide," the group alleged.
The Prosecutor's Office alleges those indicted were responsible for $400,000 worth of damage; they face one count of vandalism, a third-degree felony, one count of possessing criminal tools and one count of breaking and entering, both fifth-degree felonies.
“Peaceful protests are a fundamental cornerstone of our democracy,” Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said in a press release on the indictments. “When demonstrators cross over the line and commit criminal acts, it is our responsibility to hold those individuals accountable.”
The university in a statement said it supports the move to indict the students and others.
"We appreciate the efforts of local authorities and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office for their work on this matter," the statement reads. "As the individuals have now been formally charged, the university is unable to provide further comment."
The indictment alleges the eleven were responsible for throwing red paint and placing red handprints across campus property, including at least one statue and on windows, on Nov. 8, 2024. Additional photos on social media from the time show flyers posted across campus calling for CWRU President Eric Kaler to step down and for the university to divest from Israel bonds.
The alleged vandalism comes after a wave of pro-Palestinian protests on campus in spring 2024, where students created an encampment and marched across the college for two weeks. Two dozen students were detained by police but not arrested at the beginning of the demonstrations.
