Charges have been brought against a dozen pro-Palestinian protesters who were detained at Stanford University last year after they took a building on campus and allegedly damaged it to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Twelve people, including current and former Stanford students, have been charged with criminal vandalism and felony conspiracy to trespass, according to a news release from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office on Thursday. The individuals charged are between 19 and 32 years old, the DA's office said. They are expected to appear in court for arraignment later this month at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. A student journalist who was arrested along with the protesters was not charged, as they were not accused of being involved in the vandalism.

The protest at Stanford University began early in the morning on June 5, 2024, which was the last day of spring classes. The protest took place in California’s Silicon Valley. According to The Stanford Daily, some protesters locked themselves inside the building where the university president's office is located, while others stood outside, holding hands. The group chanted slogans like "Palestine will be free, we will free Palestine." The takeover came to an end three hours later.

According to prosecutors, the demonstrators are accused of spray-painting the building, breaking windows and furniture, disabling security cameras, and throwing a red liquid—described as fake blood—on various items inside. Prosecutors say the damage is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Prosecutors said that the cellphones of those arrested contained messages discussing the planning of the operation, including a do-it-yourself guide for carrying out the occupation. According to the Associated Press, at least 86 arrests were made last spring during protests on college or university campuses across the U.S. against the war in Gaza.