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Natalie Nicole Rath
Natalie Nicole Rath was arrested and charged with rioting, trespassing, and damage to property during an anti-Israel protest at the University of Minnesota (U of M). Rath also spread hatred of Israel in the fall of 2024, during Israel's war against Hamas in the wake of the October 7, 2023 terror attacks on Israel.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped hundreds and wounded thousands. War crimes included mass rape and torture. Israel retaliated with a war called “Swords of Iron.” For more information, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.
Natalie Nicole Rath is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
As of October 2024, Rath identified [00:00:01] herself as a "proud member" of U of M chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (umnsds). The group's Instagram bio reads: "Students fighting for progressive change and a free Palestine!" U of M is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
As of December 31, 2024, Rath was listed as a contact person for the Registered Student Organization "Students For A Democratic Society at the University of Minnesota Twin-Cities #1480." This organization's status was listed as "SUSPENDED."
As of December 2024, Rath's Instagram bio linked to: "@umnsds."
As of December 2024, Natalie Nicole Rath went by the username "natnicoler" and used the handle "@nat :(" on X.
As of December 2024, Rath's LinkedIn profile said she was a student at U of M, slated to graduate in 2025. However, Rath was suspended after her arrest on October 21, 2024, and her expected graduation date is unknown.
As of the same date, Rath's LinkedIn said she was located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
On October 21, 2024, Natalie Nicole Rath was arrested by the University of Minnesota (U of M) police department and charged with rioting, trespassing, and damage to property.
On the same day, umnsds posted on Instagram: "SUPPORT STUDENTS OCCUPYING MORRILL HALL...to demand that the University of Minnesota DIVEST from the genocidal Israel and all weapon companies complicit...#palestine #divest #intifada." A flyer included in the post read: "UMN COMMUNITY OCCUPPIES [sic] MORRILL HALL / RENAMES IT HALIMY HALL..."
The building takeover was led [slide 1] by U of M's chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (umnsds) and supported by U of M's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (sjpumn), which posted on its Instagram: "UMN STUDENTS OCCUPY HISTORIC MORRILL HALL FOR PALESTINE 
...UMN STUDENTS DEMAND COMPLETE DIVESTMENT FROM ISRAELI WEAPONS AND BONDS, ISRAELI UNIVERSITIES AND WEAPONS STOCK...LIBERATION IS NEAR !!"
The post included a video captioned: "UMN STUDENTS HAVE OCCUPIED MORRILL HALL !! !! !!" and showed a small group of SJP activists supporting the building takeover, led by a woman wearing a red keffiyeh and shouting into a megaphone while pacing back and forth in front of a large, green banner with white text that read: "MONEY FOR EDUCATION / NOT FOR BOMBS & OCCUPATION."
On October 21, 2024, following the arrests, U of M issued a statement about the protest and arrests, saying: "Protesters...entered Morrill Hall" and "began spray painting, including covering lenses of all internal security cameras, breaking interior windows, and barricading the building’s entrance and exit points...A number of staff were working in the building at the time, and several people were not able to exit...for an extended period of time. To ensure the safety of U of M employees in the building who were unable to exit, and in light of property damage sustained to the building, University of Minnesota Police Department [UMPD] was called to the scene...With necessary support from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, UMPD...arrested 11 people..."
On October 30, 2024, Campus Reform reported that Natalie Nicole Rath, age 20, was one of 11 "anti-Israel agitators" arrested "on charges of damage to property, riot, and trespassing" after occupying Morrill Hall at U of M.
On November 17, 2024, a few weeks after her arrest, Rath posted a series of photos on Instagram, one of which featured [slide 1] the words "FREE PALESTINE," and another that featured [slide 3] a poster that read: "IT IS RIGHT TO REBEL" taped to the build's glass door.
On November 28, 2024, umnsds posted on Instagram: "U OF MN HALIMY HALL STUDENTS SUSPENDED FOR UP TO 2.5 YEARS!" The post continued: "...the students were found guilty on all charges...As punishment, the administration has decided that all 7 students must pay over $5,500 each in restitution and will be suspended starting January 1st..."
The post also stated that: "...the University "intends to withhold the transcripts of those arrested" and stated that "students have to do 20 hours of community service and write a 5-10 page essay about the 'difference between vandalism and protest.'"
On November 29, 2024, after her arrest and suspension, Rath posted on X: "so who wants to drop out w me."
On December 9, 2024, the Minnesota Daily reported that suspension of the seven students, saying: "During this suspension, SDS members will not have access to their official transcript and credit records, making them unable to transfer without forfeiting all previously earned credits." The report clarified that the requirement to make financial restitution and to do community service was necessary in order to be readmitted.
On October 31, 2024, Rath was featured [00:00:01] in a video posted on umnsds's Instagram page. The text accompanying the video read: "SDS member and arrestee, Natalie, speaks about her experiences in jail and the importance of continuing the fight for divestment..."
In the video, Rath said [00:00:09]: "...along with one of the 11 Halimi Hall [Morrill Hall] protestors arrested last Monday, I was arrested and placed on interim suspension for protesting the University of Minnesota's investments in companies complicit in war crimes. We have been waging a long campaign over the past year to urge our administration to divest from companies such as weapon manufacturers, defense recruiters, and cut ties with Israel, an entity currently perpetuating a violent genocide."
Rath continued [00:02:03]: "...I will never stop fighting for divestment on my campus and I will never stop speaking out for the people of Palestine." Rath also said [00:03:32]: "...we have the right to protest on this campus, and we have the right to resist" and said [00:04:12] "...I will be out in the streets with all of you until Palestine is free from the river to the sea."
Rath ended her speech by leading [00:04:20] the chant: "Resistance is justified when Palestine is occupied."
Anti-Israel activists use the term “resistance” to refer to violence and terror perpetrated against Israeli civilians and their allies. It is used to glorify and encourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence. Anti-Israel activists chant slogans such as: “Resistance by any means necessary!” and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” in response to terror attacks.
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” is a chant used [00:02:47] to call for the elimination of the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state. In April 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning the chant as antisemitic.
On January 16, 2024, Rath reposted a post from umnsds with a flyer that read: "JOIN THE STUDENT MOVEMENT!...Fight for a Free Palestine! UMN Divest from Genocide!" The flyer included a photo of a man raising a Palestinian flag, and two others holding a banner that read: "UMN DIVEST FROM ISRAELI UNIVERSITIES / WEAPON COMPANIES / STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS" and the SDS logo.
On September 18, 2024, The Minnesota Daily, in an article titled: "Protesters disrupt President Cunningham's inauguration," identified Rath as "a member of SDS and one of the organizers of the protest." The article reported that Rath said the protest was "giving students the opportunity to mobilize and speak up about important issues like the genocide in Gaza and divestment from Israel." Rath was quoted as saying: "...It's a genocide and it's honestly as simple as that."
