The Trump administration escalated its political persecution of anti-war protesters on Wednesday, as the FBI and federal law enforcement agencies raided homes across southeast Michigan and unsealed a 63-page indictment charging eight individuals associated with pro-Palestinian activism at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

The indictment alleges the defendants and unindicted co-conspirators, most of whom studied or worked at U-Mich, used encrypted messages, social media and collaboration with partners overseas to research, target and attack alleged victims, subsequently publicizing their activities on social media. In fact, the allegations involve non-violent acts of vandalism carried out to protest the US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza, which has directly to date killed 72,971 people, according to official figures, including tens of thousands of women and children.