Five Stanford University students are set to face trial starting Monday on felony charges stemming from a pro-Palestinian protest on campus in June 2024. The case is the most severe criminal action brought against US students involved in nationwide demonstrations against Israel's war in Gaza.
The students are among 12 charged with felony conspiracy to trespass and felony vandalism after occupying the university president's office for an hour. They barricaded themselves inside, demanding Stanford consider a student resolution to divest from Israel. The group unofficially renamed the building after Adnan al-Bursh, a Palestinian surgeon reportedly tortured to death in Israeli detention.
Stanford suspended the students immediately after their arrest and banned them from campus for two terms, but allowed them back in autumn 2024 after an internal disciplinary process. In April 2025, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen announced criminal charges, stating: 'Dissent is American, vandalism is criminal.' A Stanford spokesperson said the university respects the district attorney's decisions.
One initially charged student cooperated with prosecutors and was not indicted; others accepted plea deals. The five proceeding to trial have pleaded not guilty, arguing the charges distract from Stanford's alleged complicity in Israel's actions. Defendant German Gonzalez called the accusations 'ridiculous,' while Amy Zhai said the focus should be on 'the completely destroyed landscape of Gaza.'
Thousands of students were arrested during 2024 campus protests, but most criminal charges have been dropped elsewhere. In New York, prosecutors declined to pursue charges against students who occupied a building, and in Michigan, charges were dropped against seven protesters. Los Angeles prosecutors also declined to pursue most cases.
