Hundreds of Michigan Professors Rally To Defend Faculty Chair Who Praised 'Pro-Palestinian Student Activists' During Commencement Speech

More than 400 professors at the University of Michigan signed an anti-Israel letter supporting a faculty leader who used his commencement speech to praise "pro-Palestinian student activists" and denounce Israel's "war in Gaza," calling his comments "thoughtful" and "ethically rich."

The letter, which accused Israel of "injustice and inhumanity," also called on the university to rescind its apology for history professor and outgoing Faculty Senate chair Derek Peterson's controversial statements at the graduation ceremony, arguing that "nothing in Professor Peterson's statement warrants any apology."

"In the course of a speech celebrating students and members of the community for many efforts to make this institution better, Professor Peterson celebrated students who had, through their protests, called attention to the injustice and inhumanity with which the present government of Israel has prosecuted its war in Gaza," the letter states. Its signatories include Reuben Kempf Professor of Economics Basit Zafar, History Department director of undergraduate studies Brian Porter-Szucs, and distinguished history professor Juan Cole, a notable anti-Israel academic who has called Israelis "genocidal psychopaths" and argued that U.S. politicians who support Israel do so to "get Jewish votes."

The letter comes after University of Michigan president Domenico Grasso apologized for Peterson's "inappropriate" political remarks at the graduation ceremony, calling them "hurtful and insensitive to many members of our community." Peterson, the outgoing chairman of the faculty senate, deviated from his speech to praise the "pro-Palestinian student activists who have, over these past two years, opened our hearts to the injustice and inhumanity of Israel's war in Gaza." Grasso said the comments violated the school's policy of "institutional neutrality on political or social issues."

"The Chair's remarks were expected to be congratulatory, not a platform for personal or political expression," said Grasso. "Introducing such commentary in this setting was inappropriate and did not align with the purpose of the occasion."

Grasso's mea culpa drew backlash from the professors in the open letter, which demanded that Grasso apologize for his apology.

"Professor Peterson celebrated students who had, through their protests, called attention to the injustice and inhumanity with which the present government of Israel has prosecuted its war in Gaza," said the letter. "We call on President Grasso to withdraw his statement, republish the ceremony recording, and pledge to protect and uphold the University's own professed principles of free expression, free speech, and neutrality."

The controversy comes as the University of Michigan has been at the center of a hotly contested board of regents election. The Democratic nominee, Dearborn attorney Amir Makled, has posted pro-Hezbollah comments on social media, the Washington Free Beacon reported. He also defended an alleged ISIS terrorist on trial for plotting to shoot up gay nightclubs in a Detroit suburb and filed a "wrongful death" lawsuit on behalf of a gunman who was killed while trying to shoot up the city of Dearborn's police station during a Christmas toy drive.

Republican regent candidates Michael Schostak and Lena Epstein criticized Peterson's comments in a joint statement, saying that commencement ceremonies "exist to unite the University community around academic achievement, personal growth, and the promise of what comes next" and "should not become a stage for political activism that leaves students feeling excluded or uncomfortable during one of the most important milestones of their lives."

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