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Pro-Palestinian protesters rip off hundreds of flower heads at U. Michigan garden

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Protesters leave sign saying no one should enjoy flower garden when Palestinians are ‘dying and starving’

Protesters plucked the heads off hundreds of flowers Sunday at the University of Michigan, leaving a sign saying people should not enjoy the peony garden when Palestinians are “dying and starving right now.”

University police described the incident as an act of vandalism committed for the purpose of political protest, MLive reports.

“Thousands of blooming flowers were cut and left behind,” Tony Kolenic, director of the university’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, said in a statement Sunday on the garden’s Facebook page.

“What happened here was an act of disregard not just for the garden, but for the community that cherishes it, even for life itself,” Kolenic stated.

Other reports put the estimated number of destroyed blooms around 250. The vandalism occurred sometime early Sunday morning at the Nichols Arboretum Peony Garden, according to Click on Detroit 4.

Protesters also left 100 paper signs indicating the cause of their actions involved the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, police told the news outlet.

“Since October 7th, 2023, over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, and over 100,000 injured. They are still dying and starving right now, as you stroll around in the arboretum and enjoy your picnic,” the sign read, in part.

Police said no one has taken responsibility for the vandalism, and local authorities are investigating.

About 800 peonies and 10,000 flowers bloom in the university’s Peony Garden, according to the arboretum website. The garden is considered to be “one of the world’s premier” peony collections and attracts thousands of visitors every summer.

The garden’s manager, who describes his career as “environmental justice,” said he believes humans have a responsibility to “protect and care for” nature, which can hold a deep “healing power.”

“These peonies are not just plants, they are living beings. They’ve been nurtured over generations and bring joy, community, and connection to the natural world for so many people every season,” Kolenic said in response to the vandalism.

As recently as 2023, the University of Michigan employed a diversity, equity, and inclusion manager in its arboretum, The College Fix reported at the time. The staff also works to combat racism within its 700 acres of gardens and natural preserves to make up for its “participation in systemic injustices.”

Recently, however, the university has begun to roll back its massive DEI programming.

Over the past two years, the public institution also has been dealing with repeated acts of vandalism by pro-Palestinian activists, including regents’ homes and a Jewish regent’s office, The Fix reported in April.

MORE: Research identifies more than 1,100 DEI-related jobs at University of Michigan

IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: Photos show the University of Michigan’s peony garden before and after being vandalized Sunday by pro-Palestinian protesters; University of Michigan/Facebook, TheKatku/Instagram