"Freedom School" Program on UofM Campus Features Terror Group Material
A week-long event being held on the University of Michigan campus features a reading circle dedicated to a former PFLP leader and promotes terrorist rhetoric under the guise of civil rights education
The TAHRIR Coalition and Students for Justice in Palestine at Ann Arbor are hosting a week-long educational event from September 2-5 on the University of Michigan (UofM) campus. The programming features an event with materials from a former spokesman of the U.S.-designated terror group the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and is promoted with rhetoric from former terrorists.
The "Popular University for Palestine: Freedom School," which organizers say is inspired by the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Schools of the Civil Rights Movement, includes teach-ins, workshops, reading circles, and other activities described as drawing "connections between local struggles in Metro Detroit and global resistance against imperialism." The term "resistance" is commonly seen as a euphemism for terrorism in such contexts.
Troubling Content and Speakers
Among the most troubling aspects of the program is a reading circle dedicated to Ghassan Kanafani, who served as spokesman, co-founder, and chief propagandist for the PFLP. Kanafani, a key member of the PFLP's political leadership, editor-in-chief of its Al-Hadf magazine, and right-hand man to founder George Habash, was instrumental in shaping the group's ideology through Marxist essays that justified terrorism as "armed struggle."
The event's online RSVP forum prominently features a quote from Basel Al-Araj, described by organizers as a "Palestinian revolutionary and martyr." The quote reads: "You want to be an intellectual? Then you must resist. Otherwise you and your education are useless." What organizers don't mention is that Al-Araj was the head of a terror cell who was eliminated in a 2016 gunfight with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Concern of Potential Staff Involvement in the Program
Erek Mirque, a Public Health senior at the school and event speaker, emphasized the broad participation being sought, stating, "we are inviting the audience, the organizers, the community members, the students and staff to come and help build this education with us."
Previous Legal Issues
In April, 2025, members of the organization appear to have been detained by Michigan State Police and local officers during searches of six activists' homes in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. This law enforcement operation was connected to an ongoing year-long investigation into vandalism incidents involving pro-Palestinian graffiti that defaced the homes of University of Michigan officials and others.
Framing of the Program
Organizers frame the event as educational programming inspired by the Civil Rights Movement's Freedom Schools, which were established in 1964 to provide education to African American students in Mississippi. However, critics argue that invoking this historical parallel to legitimize events featuring content from terrorist organization members represents a troubling appropriation of civil rights history.
As the event continues through September 5, the potential involvement of university staff in programming featuring terrorist organization content raises serious questions about institutional oversight of campus activities.
Also concerning is the organization's framing of the University of Michigan as having "complicity in genocide," which highlights the need for university administrators to closely monitor such events and their potential impact on campus safety and student wellbeing.