PALO ALTO, Calif. (Diya TV) — Twelve pro-Palestinian protesters, most of them Stanford University students or alumni, have been charged with felony vandalism and felony conspiracy to trespass in connection with a June 2024 takeover of an administration building on campus.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced the charges Thursday, describing the incident as a calculated act of destruction rather than peaceful protest. Prosecutors allege the group broke into Building 10, home to the university president’s office, barricaded themselves inside, disabled security cameras, and caused roughly $250,000 in damage.
“Dissent is American. Vandalism is criminal,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “There is a bright line between making a point and committing a crime. These defendants crossed the line.”
The break-in occurred at about 5:30 a.m. on June 5, 2024. According to prosecutors, the group used a broken window to gain entry and then brought in ladders and furniture to barricade the doors. They splashed fake blood, broke windows and furniture, spray-painted buildings, and recorded social media videos outlining their demands for Stanford to divest from Israel.
Authorities quickly intervened, entering the building around 7 a.m. and arresting the demonstrators. The individuals were released the same day but were immediately suspended. Stanford officials later said a campus safety officer was injured during the incident and condemned the protest as containing “vile and hateful” graffiti. Seniors involved were barred from graduating.
The defendants, ranging in age from 19 to 32, are Maya Burke, Zoe Edelman, Eliana Fuchs, German Gonzalez, Gretchen Guimarin, Taylor McCann, Cameron Pennington, John Richardson, Hunter Taylor-Black, Isabella Terrazas, Kaiden Wang, and Amy Zhai. They are scheduled to be arraigned later this month at the Hall of Justice in San Jose.
Defense attorneys argue the charges are excessive, particularly given the academic and personal repercussions the students have already faced.
“After going through all of that, now they face this,” said Tony Brass, attorney for protester Hunter Taylor-Black. He acknowledged that activism does not exempt individuals from consequences, but emphasized the symbolic nature of the protest amid the escalating death toll in Gaza. “Whatever your politics are, wanting to stop infant deaths immediately — one could understand.”
Stanford officials have not commented publicly since the charges were announced.
The university shut down a longstanding pro-Palestinian encampment at White Plaza shortly after the building takeover. Prior to that, the encampment had been allowed to remain despite violating campus policies on overnight camping and sound amplification.
Liberate Stanford, the student group that organized the protest, accused law enforcement of violently assaulting demonstrators during the arrests — a claim denied by police. In a separate incident, Stanford Daily reporter Dilan Gohill, who was embedded with the protesters, was also arrested. While initially facing potential prosecution, Gohill was later allowed to return to campus following public outcry, according to Columbia Journalism Review.
The Stanford case is one of the most serious criminal responses to the wave of pro-Palestinian campus protests that swept the U.S. last spring. According to an Associated Press tally, more than 3,200 protesters were arrested across 73 college campuses, including large demonstrations at Columbia University, UCLA, and USC. Most arrests have not resulted in felony charges, and many cases remain unresolved.
Although the charges carry a maximum sentence of nearly four years in state prison, Rosen said he hopes the defendants will plead guilty and pay restitution rather than face incarceration.
“This case is not about their politics,” Rosen said. “We would not be here today if these defendants stopped at the threshold of Building 10 and simply stated their views.”
But civil rights advocates argue the prosecution is a heavy-handed response to student activism.
“Prosecuting these young people with felony charges is a blatant attack on free speech,” said Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ San Francisco Bay Area chapter. As the legal process moves forward, the case may become a flashpoint in the broader debate over the limits of protest and the consequences of political dissent on campus.
