Earlier this month, the criminal trial of five students from the Stanford 11 began in Santa Clara County Superior Court, following charges brought by District Attorney Jeff Rosen. The case stems from a June 2024 pro-Palestine protest in which twelve students occupied Building 10, Stanford’s president’s office, to demand divestment from Israel, financial transparency, and an end to disciplinary retaliation against student activists. Of the eleven students charged, three accepted misdemeanor plea deals, three entered diversion programs, one had charges dropped in exchange for testimony, and five now face trial. Those five are charged with felony conspiracy to trespass and felony vandalism, which are extreme charges that differentiate this case from nearly every other Pro-Palestine campus protest prosecution in the country.
The severity of the charges is wildly disproportionate to the alleged conduct. Prosecutors are seeking penalties of up to three years and eight months in prison, or restitution totaling $329,000. Yet Stanford’s own Facilities Director, Mitch Bousson, testified that the actual cost of damages was under $10,000, including a broken window, a damaged doorframe, and repairs to a grandfather clock. Both felony charges are legally classified as “wobblers,” meaning Rosen had full discretion to file them as misdemeanors. Instead, he chose the most punitive option available despite damages that are nowhere near the restitution demand.
This decision stands in stark contrast to how similar protests have been treated nationwide. Across the U.S., prosecutors have largely declined to pursue charges against students involved in pro-Palestinian campus occupations. In New York, cases against Columbia University protesters were dismissed for lack of evidence. In Michigan and Los Angeles, prosecutors dropped charges against arrested demonstrators altogether. Jeff Rosen is the only district attorney in the country to pursue felony charges against student protesters, making the Stanford students the first and only students facing criminal punishment for campus protest activity related to Palestine.
Concerns about political bias only further undermine the legitimacy of this prosecution. Rosen publicly welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his 2023 visit to Silicon Valley, standing alongside county officials beneath Israeli flags. His daughter, Samantha Rosen, is employed by AIPAC, one of the most powerful pro-Israel lobbying organizations in the United States. Taken together, the case against the Stanford students reads as a coordinated effort to punish dissent and intimidate future student activists.
This trial is not about broken windows or damaged furniture. It is about criminalizing solidarity with Palestine and sending a message to students nationwide: speak out, and you will pay the price. We cannot allow universities and prosecutors to use the legal system as a weapon against student activism. To remain silent is to accept the erosion of our rights and the normalization of political repression.
