An over-armed officer, displaying chemical spray among other tools of repression, at the UIUC Gaza encampment. This threatening posture is reflected in the felony charges raised against a number of protesters. Photo by Farrah Anderson, Invisible Institute/Illinois Public Media; used with permission
As students are returning to university campuses, we are seeing signs of continued support for Palestinians who are enduring an onslaught by Israeli military forces. Here at the University of Illinois, the first week of classes students chalked “DIVEST” on the front columns of Foellinger Auditorium, only for it to be washed off shortly after.
We are also seeing a backlash against the wave of pro-Palestinian student activism that took place last spring. At the U of I, we had our own encampment set up in solidarity with Gaza that lasted almost two weeks. Across the country, from the University of California to the University of Pennsylvania, administrators are now banning encampments on campuses. The UIUC administration has set up its own “I-Team” to discuss First Amendment issues—or decide how free is free speech?
In Champaign-Urbana, a total of nine activists have now been charged with Class 4 felonies for mob action. On April 26, 2024, the first day of the encampment at the Alma Mater on campus, two people were arrested. Over the summer, charges have been quietly filed against the others. A defense committee was formed which has circulated a petition, which you can find at freespeechcu.com.
According to the New York Times, more than 3,100 people were arrested during protests this past spring, but most of the charges have since been dropped. In Champaign-Urbana, State’s Attorney Julia Rietz has been very vocal about her willingness to prosecute the activists with felony mob action charges, one of them as young as 17 at the time of the encampment.
The charges target members of local organizations that have been leading the local pro-Palestinian movement, including Students for Justice in Palestine, the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Graduate Employees’ Union Organization (GEO), as well as other community members.
The ACLU of Illinois released a statement about charges stemming from the April 26 incidents: “We are aware of students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign along with community members being charged in state court with felonies related to their actions around encampments at the U of I campus at the end of the last school year. . . . In response to the student encampments on campuses across Illinois, the ACLU of Illinois has consistently urged restraint—from students and administrators. We urge prosecutors to exercise that same restraint in charging any violations emanating from the protests.”
For previous coverage of the UIUC encampment, see the Summer 2024 issue of Public i with an article by Clara Belitz, Sana Saboowala, and Izzy Grosof.
Brian Dolinar has reported on criminal justice issues in Champaign-Urbana for almost 20 years.
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