University of Michigan Regents Forced to Get 24/7 Security After Threats/Harassment from Pro-Hamas Activists

Pro-Hamas activists have violently threatened and harassed Regents of the University of Michigan since 2023, finally forcing them to retain 24-hour security to protect themselves and their families. These Regents are not paid, but that hasn’t stopped them from becoming targets of unhinged antisemites.

Regents under siege

The Detroit News reported that Regents Jordan Acker, Mark Bernstein, and Sarah Hubbard have been assigned full-time, around-the-clock security by the university on the advice of legal counsel, security experts, and local law enforcement after these domestic terrorists vandalized their homes with pro-Hamas, anti-Israel messages. The cost of the security is undisclosed and also covers top executives at the university. Regents under attack include both Republicans and Democrats.

Hamas supporters have left messages of “Free Palestine,” “Divest,” and “No Honor in Genocide” spray-painted on the front of their homes and workplaces.

From The Jerusalem Post:

Attacks on the Regents’ homes and workplaces began in June 2024. That’s when Acker’s Southfield law office was targeted with graffiti. Vandals spray-painted “Free Palestine” and “Divest Now” on the building and sidewalk entrance to the Goodman Acker Law Firm.

Acker’s wife’s car was also spray-painted with the words “divest” and “free Palestine.” Previous harassment at his residence included masked protesters arriving at dawn with lists of demands.

Acker was also targeted last December. He has three little children at home, and the death threats just keep rolling in. He fears for his family’s safety. He stated after a jar of urine was thrown through a window in his home at 2 a.m., “Any time your family is being attacked for who you are and for what you believe, I think that’s a pretty scary moment as an elected official, but it’s unfortunately the world that we live in these days.”

“It’s been really hard on them. It’s been really hard on my wife. It’s been really, really hard on my kids, especially my 10-year-old, who was woken up by the glass breaking,” Acker recounted.

“Nobody should ever encounter a masked and hooded man on the front porch of their home in the early morning making demands that the university divest from Israel and defund the police,” Regent Mark Bernstein said, according to The College Fix.

“This is something that the university has decided, it’s important to provide this support to their leadership. So, it’s the Regents and it’s also a number of other leaders at the university that have experienced these threats,” Hubbard remarked.

“I feel that I can have this civil debate with people who have a different opinion than I do, and so it’s too bad that it has ramped up to this point where we’re concerned for our safety. It’s not a concern I have every moment of every day, but it’s certainly something I worry about because we see it going beyond the vandalism in so many areas around the country and in the world, and we don’t want to suffer that same result,” she said.

Other executives have been targeted by Hamas activists

The attacks have occurred on more than just the Regents as well. The homes of former President Santa Ono and the university’s chief investment officer, Erik Lundberg, were vandalized in October. “In March, someone spray-painted ‘Free Palestine’ on the side of UM Provost Laurie McCauley’s Ann Arbor home,” the Detroit News reported.

“Since Nov. 17, 2023, our Regents and executive officers have been subjected to extensive and targeted criminal acts, including vandalism of private residences and businesses,” University spokeswoman Colleen Mastony asserted in a statement. “These incidents, detailed in a press release, underscore the unacceptable level of threats and harassment directed at our institution’s leaders and their families.”

“We have taken prudent steps to support our Regents and executive officers and will continue to rely on our public safety team to continuously assess risk, consult with external law enforcement partners, and allocate resources commensurate with those assessments,” she continued.

“The three Regents said they continue to get threats via email and social media, as recently as June 9,” The Detroit News added while reporting that in May 2024, activists erected tents on Regent Hubbard’s front lawn and left on her doorstep “scenes of genocide in Palestine.” Her Instagram account was tagged with a threat as well: “Regents, respond to our demands by the end of your board meeting this Thursday.”

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