Protesters face formal arraignment, criminal charges after arrests during summer encampments

Demonstrators are facing charges in court after the pro-Palestinian protests that broke out at the end of the spring semester escalated into confrontations between protesters and police. 

Students first set up an encampment on April 23, which was allowed by the City to remain until Monday morning of April 29. The protest remained peaceful until two protesters, one of which was a student, were arrested for misdemeanor trespassing on the University lawn.

The encampment was later reestablished on June 2 on the Cathedral lawn. The protest disbanded after 30 hours on June 4, and police made no arrests during the disbandment. One individual was arrested on the first day of the protest. 

A statement from Students for Justice in Palestine claimed that 17 protesters were charged in the aftermath of the encampments, “having been identified through mechanisms of targeted surveillance.”  

After a preliminary hearing on Aug. 26, two protesters, 21-year-old Muhammad Ali and 24-year-old Cole Florkewicz, will face a formal arraignment on Oct. 11. 

Ali faces charges of two counts of obstruction of justice and one count of aggravated assault, riot, disorderly conduct, failure to disperse and conspiracy. Florkewicz is charged with aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, obstruction of justice, riot, failure to disperse and conspiracy.

According to SJP, 20 protesters are facing charges, six of whom are Pitt students and alumni, along with four Carnegie Mellon students and alumni and 10 community members. 

“SJP stands in full and unwavering solidarity with the 20 brave students, alumni and community members unjustly charged for exercising their First Amendment rights,” the organization said in a statement. “They are our relatives, friends, beloved community members and activists for reproductive rights, Palestine and other important issues.”

Council on American-Islamic Relations in Pittsburgh released a statement on Instagram calling for the charges against arrested protesters to be dropped.

“Students have been targeted for their political speech, their integrity has been questioned, behind-the-scenes pressure on administrators led to police violence and a heavy-handed legal approach is now threatening the well-being of these students,” CAIR-Pittsburgh Executive Director Christine Mohamed wrote in the statement.

CAIR-Pittsburgh additionally released a report documenting increased anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents across Pennsylvania.

SJP endorsed CAIR-Pittsburgh’s message, saying they “fully support CAIR-Pittsburgh’s statement and echo the demand that all charges against protesters be dropped.”

As protesters face hearings, SJP said they “reached out to the charged individuals to offer emotional, legal and financial support.”

“We regularly send groups to participate in ‘court support’ so that our protesters don’t have to stand alone throughout the course of their legal proceedings,” SJP said in the statement.

The University declined request for comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.