Former Green Party presidential nominee Dr. Jill Stein and a second protester are facing charges for their involvement in a demonstration at Washington University in St. Louis last April, where participants called for the university to divest from Boeing over the conflict in Gaza. Stein faces two misdemeanors.
According to a court document filed last week, Stein has been charged with one count of first-degree trespassing and one count of fourth-degree assault. The latter charge alleges that Stein “recklessly caused physical injury” to an officer during the demonstration “by struggling with a bicycle and kicking him.” A second demonstrator has also been charged with first-degree trespassing, fourth-degree assault on a special victim, and resisting or interfering with arrest.
At the time of the demonstration on April 27, Stein was a candidate for the Green Party’s 2024 presidential nomination and was in Missouri collecting signatures to qualify for the state ballot. While there, she was invited to join protesters at Washington University calling for the university to divest from Boeing. The demonstration was part of a broader wave of campus protests nationwide demanding that colleges and universities divest from companies linked to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Video footage by TIME from the event shows demonstrators, including Stein, locking arms in an attempt to resist efforts by police to contain the group. Protesters can be heard shouting “Hold the line!” as Stein appears to struggle with an officer over a bicycle before both move out of view. Stein and several members of her campaign team were arrested, with Stein later stating she was charged with assaulting a police officer. They were released shortly after.
“I got separated from the rest of the crowd,” Stein said during an interview at the time, describing her experience in jail. “It initially felt like there was safety in numbers, but then I found out I was being charged with assault—after being assaulted by a bicycle and basically thrown onto my head backwards. I was charged with assaulting a police officer. Can you believe it?
Following the demonstration, Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin stated in a letter that 100 individuals had been arrested, including 23 students and four university employees. Three police officers also sustained what he described as “significant injuries.” He added that those arrested would face criminal charges for trespassing, with additional charges of resisting arrest and assault for some individuals.
Stein has not yet publicly responded to the charges against her. She is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on May 19 at the St. Louis County Court Building in Clayton, Missouri.
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