In November of 2023, the University of Michigan falsely accused students supporting divestment of gaining unauthorized access to University emails, which emboldened X account StopAntisemites to propagate these lies along with the names and photos of two Muslim students to hundreds of thousands of internet users.

Michigan President Santa Ono then apologized for the doxxing, without condemning the responsible parties or taking accountability for the university's role in endangering students. One year later, it has happened again.

Throughout the week of November 10, 2024, members of the University of Michigan administration and student body spread defamatory allegations against two pro-Palestine students, resulting in their mass doxxing by the high-profile accounts StopAntisemitism and Canary Mission as well as a network of other racist blacklisting sites. On November 11, the Pro-Palestine President and Vice President of Central Student Government (CSG) were impeached on false and racialized allegations of “incitement of violence” and “cyber theft.” These baseless claims, including accusations that the president was a “threat to student safety and democracy,” were clear attempts to discredit their pro-Palestinian platform and further criminalize student activism. 

This incident is systematic of the toxic campus environment fostered by the University Regents and administration, where Islamophobia and racism thrive unchecked. Regent Jordan Acker recently accused pro-Palestine activists on campus of being “foreign-funded.” While Regent Bernstein claimed that the Vice President of CSG was “at best sympathetic to the antisemitic mob on campus, and at worst a part of it.”  However, the most recent, and egregious example of this dangerous conduct comes from Regent Sarah Hubbard, who actively participated in the doxxing of her own students by reposting this tweet. 

On Wednesday, November 12, Hubbard reposted an X tweet that published the full legal names of the president and vice president of CSG, along with the unproven and slanderous allegations in the impeachment motion. This tweet was flagged by the notorious doxxing sites StopAntisemites and Canary Mission, which then posted photos of the two students and labeled them as dangerous. The post received hundreds of Islamophobic and racist comments, including calls for the students to be “deported” or “stoned,” placing these students in grave danger. 

Additionally, UMich organization Students Supporting Israel (SSI) collaborated with private extremist groups End Jewish Hatred, Hasbara Fellowships, and AIPAC-sponsored organizations to defame the President and Vice President of CSG, accusing them of breaking into UM Administrators’ houses, spreading terrorism, and assaulting members of student government. These students must be held accountable for this overt racism.

The ongoing repression of student activism by University Regents and administration has enabled a network of predatory organizations to spread misinformation, endanger, and vilify Michigan’s marginalized students. 

We refuse to accept another empty apology. We demand that the University of Michigan MUST: 

1) Denounce the racist narrative that students “incited violence” 2) Publicly condemn racist blacklisting organizations StopAntisemitism, and Canary Mission for consistently attacking Michigan students without evidence. 3) Accept responsibility for the actions of university-affiliated actors, such as Sarah Hubbard and Jordan Acker, and hold them accountable for their roles in student doxxing and spreading misinformation. 4) Discipline the student organization - Students Supporting Israel for their racist and defamatory statements. 5) Take immediate steps to cease all political repression against students targeted for their pro-Palestinian activism.