Blooms were chopped off nearly one-third of the peony plants at the University of Michigan’s Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor sometime Saturday night by vandals who left behind papers with pro-Palestinian messages, according to campus police.
Campus police officers said about 250 of the peony plants on the north side of the W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden had most of their flowers cut off. Arboretum staff reported the destruction at 6:14 a.m. Sunday. Campus police are investigating the incident as a crime, UM’s Division of Public Safety and Security said in a news release Sunday.
Investigators have not identified a suspect and no one has taken credit for the incident, though “some papers were left behind,” UM police said.
The university released a photograph of one of those papers, which reads in part, “Palestinian lives deserve to be cared for. More than these flowers.”
The message on the paper juxtaposes the number of people who visit the peony garden annually, estimated at 75,000, with the number of Palestinians killed and injured during Israel’s bombardment.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, funded largely by UN member states and the UN, said at least 53,655 Palestinians have reportedly been killed and 121,950 have been injured since Hamas’ deadly attack on Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
In a video uploaded to social media, arboretum director Anthony Kolenic denounced the bloom cuttings.
“These peonies are not just plants,” he said as the camera pans to a trail of pink blooms left on the ground. “They are living beings. They’ve been nurtured over generations and bring joy, a sense of community and connection to the natural world for so many people every season.”
Kolenic said the cuttings were an act of disregard for the garden, community and life. He said the garden would be fine.
The garden has 800 peony plants and is considered one of the world’s premier collections of the flowers, with 350 historic varieties from the 19th and 20th centuries, according to its website. At their peak, the plants have a collective 10,000-plus flowers.
“Make no mistake, the criminal tactics used in the recent act of vandalism at Nichols Arboretum are wholly unacceptable,” UM spokeswoman Kay Jarvis said in a statement. “We unequivocally condemn the destruction of property and any act of vandalism on our campus.
“Damaging a beloved community space intended to foster reflection and bring hope to the whole community is counterproductive. We urge all community members to channel their voices through constructive and meaningful dialogue.”
The flower garden vandalism with the pro-Palestinian papers left at the scene is the latest in a string of incidents involving public backlash against the university for its endowment investments in Israel.
In October, the homes of then-UM President Santa Ono and the university’s chief investment officer, Erik Lundberg, were vandalized. In December, vandals targeted the Huntington Woods home of UM Regent Jordan Acker, who is Jewish.
Acker’s Southfield law office was previously targeted with graffiti last June. Vandals spray-painted “Free Palestine” and “Divest Now” on the building and sidewalk entrance to the Goodman Acker Law Firm on 10 Mile Road.
In March, someone spray-painted “Free Palestine” on the side of UM Provost Laurie McCauley’s Ann Arbor home.
ckthompson@detroitnews.com
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