11 Pro-Palestine Protesters Charged with Felonies for Allegedly Vandalizing Case Western Last Fall

Pro-Palestine protesters at the Kelvin Smith Library Oval in May. On Wednesday, 11 people were indicted by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office on charges of vandalism and property damage that allegedly occurred the early morning of November 8, 2024. Credit: Mark Oprea

Eleven pro-Palestine protesters were charged with felonies for allegedly trespassing at Case Western Reserve University last November and painting portions of campus blood-red, an indictment filed Wednesday read.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley charged these people—six of them Case students—with crimes that led to an estimated $400,000 in damages.

In early morning of November 8, 2024, these 11 protesters “vandalized both the north and south sides of campus,” a press release reads, and “dumped and smeared gallons of red paint over multiple buildings, walkways, outdoor tables, an electrical pole and on a statue of retired chemistry professor ‘Doc Oc’.”

O’Malley said he opted to charge these 11 because they segued from constitutional rights into the realm of felonious behavior.

“Peaceful protests are a fundamental cornerstone of our democracy,” O’Malley said. “When demonstrators cross over the line and commit criminal acts, it is our responsibility to hold those individuals accountable.”

Photos from the indictment depict Case’s esplanade, windows, steps and statues covered in blood-red paint from an alleged act of vandalism on November 8. Credit: Prosecutor's Office

For nearly a year following the break of the Israel-Hamas War on October 7, 2023, a train of protests against Israel’s militant response to Hamas broke out across Case Western’s campus.

Eventually, come the spring, those protests revolved around a pro-Palestine tent city set up on the green before Case’s Kelvin Smith Library, where signs reading “Free Palestine” neighbored those announcing, by university admins, “NO ENCAMPMENTS ALLOWED.”

A resulting stalemate, pitting the tent city encampment against Case administration, followed. By the close of the spring, Case barred 53 protesters from graduation ceremonies that year. (Those who would later host their own, on Wade Oval.)

“Case Western has retaliated against their students for exercising their right to academic freedom and inflicted disproportionate punishment on their students,” Faten Odeh, the director of the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, said in a following press conference in May.

“Simply because they disagree with them,” she went on, “that an ongoing genocide should not be paid and funded with their tuition.”

CAIR did not respond to a request for comment in time for article publication on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for Case Western told Scene that they support O’Malley and his office in their decision to charge the 11 with felonies—vandalism, possession of criminal tools and breaking and entering.

“We appreciate the efforts of local authorities and the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office for their work on this matter,” the spokesperson said. “As the individuals have now been formally charged, the university is unable to provide further comment.”

If convicted, the 11 protesters could face anywhere from six months to multiple years in prison, depending on whether the case is closed via a plea deal or if it goes to trial. A felony record also means a lifetime of difficulty finding work and housing.

The protesters will be arraigned in court, O’Malley said, sometime later this year.