Tuesday evening at 8:25 p.m., University faculty member Teresa Barnes gave a scheduled “teach-In” presentation to members of the encampment. 

The presentation drew historical similarities between the American movement against apartheid in South Africa during the 70s and the current solidarity on campus for the “Palestinian liberation movement.” 

According to Barnes, the students who engaged in anti-apartheid protests across University campuses in the United States were some of the first to actively challenge the South African government from overseas.

Barnes read from writings produced at the University during the 70s protests, analyses produced within the encampment and some historical documents from the anti-apartheid movement.

Barnes also gave The Daily Illini comment on livestream about the presentation and its significance to the protest. She stated that she admired the “discipline” of protesters involved in the encampment, and noticed a lack of counter protesters. 

Shortly after the presentation from Barnes, a group of people walked by the encampment and screamed antagonistic phrases at the protesters.

Phrases heard from the group included “30,000 of you b—–es,” and “Joe Biden is going to do so much.”

Programming for the evening in the encampment also included a showing of “Tell Your Tale Little Bird”(1993), a documentary film about militant women who supported anti-Israeli movements in the early 1990s. 

By estimates from The Daily Illini, there were around 100 protesters in and around the encampment.

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The encampment outside Foellinger Auditorium moved the sign labeled “UIUC Liberation Zone” farther north on the Main Quad, expanding the encampment to about 40 tents.

The Daily Illini spoke with a student representative from the ongoing encampment.

DI: So the sign was moved. Can you tell us a little about what’s going on?

Student representative: Oh, yeah. So the sign was moved because clearly the encampment is expanding, which is a very good thing. I’m hoping that the more the encampment expands, the more pressure it puts on the University to be more willing to meet with us to discuss our demands.

DI: So what is the symbolism behind the sign?

Student representative: Essentially it started off with Columbia SJP, and they were mirroring some student protestors in the 80s or 60s who had a Liberated Zone. So then Colombia started their encampment off with a Liberated Zone and then the national SJP call came out to everyone, so that essentially just started the encampment. It’s a Liberated Zone because, you know, it’s the area for divestment.

DI: How far are you hoping to go with the sign?

Student representative: I mean, the whole Main Quad. That would be nice. I don’t know, I think it’s not so much the sign is our perimeter. It’s kind of just there. I think as encampment goes the sign will go further. I mean, the goal is always divestment, so hopefully, we just go halfway and we get divestment.

DI: Do you have a head count on how many people you have in here right now?

Student representative: Right now? I don’t know. I want to say — because there’s some people in tents and some people on the other side — I want to say maybe 50 people right now. I’m really glad a lot more people have been starting to sleep at night here. I think that’s also why they moved the sign, so they can fit in more tents as well.

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Tuesday afternoon, Students for Justice in Palestine released an Instagram post listing events they had programmed for the remainder of the day.

Among the events featured in the post were a book discussion, several prayers and a speech from a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement, an activist organization described on its website as “a transnational, independent, grassroots movement of young Palestinians in Palestine and in exile worldwide.”

The PYM speech, which was entitled “Student Resistance Movements for Palestine: How We Ended Up in Tents,” was scheduled for 5:00 p.m., but it eventually took place around 6:04 p.m.

In the address, the speaker explained the means by which PYM organizes its own protests, alluded to the Black Lives Matter movement’s resurgence in 2020 following the death of George Floyd, encouraged students to continue their demonstrations on campus and prompted participants to share their own experiences with organizing.

Several protesters responded to the prompt, with each sharing their reasoning for participation in the encampment.

“The reason I am here is basic empathy,” one student said. “If I was Palestinian, I would want this kind of support.”

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The Daily Illini interviewed a student who identified as a senior in Engineering who wished to remain anonymous. The student said he is not affiliated with any group that was gathering or protesting on campus.

Di: Is there any statement that you would like to give about any of the groups interacting today? 

Student: I’m concerned about counterprotesters today — well primarily I’m very concerned about biased policing. As an observer, and as somebody who is keeping track of what is going on here and at other universities, I’ve noticed that, for example — correct me if I’m wrong — at Washington University pro-Israel counterprotesters, Zionist counterprotesters, intentionally shouted antisemitic sayings very loudly in order to paint the pro-Palestine or Palestinian Liberation protesters as antisemitic and hateful. Thereby painting a picture that essentially kind of allows for much more violent policing, and puts people in a lot of jeopardy, even though, from what I’ve observed, the Palestinian protesters are extremely peaceful (and) do not tolerate antisemitism whatsoever. But there is an element of instigation and intentionally creating this environment, so that police officers can go in and behave violently towards the encampment. 

DI: The group that is present at the south end of the Main Quad has identified as protesters, but the group at Alma Mater are very adamantly not counterprotesters. Do you have any thoughts on that, or on these groups that you were talking about who are kind of instigating things? Do you think that is really their intention?

Student: I have no thoughts about that. This is just a concern that I have regarding how there is biased policing. There is a much higher standard and degree of burden placed on the pro-Palestinian side to prove that you are not violent, that you are not a terrorist, that you are not antisemitic. To show that what your values are are genuinely human rights and that you are genuinely saying this is a genocide and that it doesn’t have to do with religion or anything like that. Whereas, the similar burden is not placed on the Zionist crowd. Zionists in a way are above this burden of demonstrating that they are not hateful and this burden of displaying that they are not violent. This dynamic very much reflects all civil rights movements in the past from Black Lives Matter to the 1960s. 

DI: How have these groups impacted your life on campus right now? Have they at all?

Student: They have, significantly. It’s extremely moving to see the diversity of voices and people who are involved in this encampment program. I know last night, or, I think it might have been Sunday night, they had a Seder with the Jews for Palestine group for UIUC. In that dinner they talked about displacement and dispossession and how the Jewish experience and the Palestinian experience have similarities. You know, at the same time, there are people who I thought may have never cared, who are suddenly gaining kind of a consciousness through seeing the encampment in person as opposed to something remote happening on their phones. So, I really see a lot of energy. It is warming my heart to see the number of people, people who I may not have thought have cared, to suddenly start caring about genocide and geopolitical issues that kill so many people that the United States is instigating. 

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The Daily Illini: Can you tell me a little bit about what’s happening here?

Diane Gottheil: Oh, I’m very happy to see that the Jewish students have decided they’re going to come out and show their solidarity with Israel and with the Jewish people.

And when I hear that from the students, it’s reported that they’re afraid or something. I don’t think they’re afraid — they’re outnumbered. Jews have always been outnumbered, so now hanging together makes me feel very proud.

DI: How do you feel about the situation that’s going on by Foellinger today?

Gottheil: I’m not happy with that situation because I don’t think they’re very informed. I think if I ask one question about the history of the Israel-Arab conflict that started 100 years ago or more, they wouldn’t have an answer. They’re not, they’re ahistorical to put it nicely.

And I would also say that they know nothing about the attempts of peace and why they failed. So they’re just feeling good. I just read a James Baldwin piece in which he talks about protests and how they go bad. This was written in 1955, so it’s kind of brilliant. I just happened to read it and I said, oh, my goodness, it’s the same thing that’s going on with this group.

But, you know, whatever, I was arrested for protesting the war in Vietnam. But that’s because our guys were being killed, they were being drafted and killed and they were being made to kill other people and it was a completely different situation.

So there’s no comparison for the overall protests that are going on at multiple universities across campus because Students for Justice in Palestine is very well organized, good for them. They’ve learned that that’s what it takes, but I don’t think they’re sending the right message. I mean, if they really want justice in Palestine, talk about the fact that there are a million Israeli-Palestinian citizens who are minorities. So they have some issues, but there are also all the doctors in the hospitals there on, there’s one on the Supreme Court. They don’t know that, you know, we want to integrate the world, we don’t wanna, but the Jews need a safe place. My grandchildren are “half Jewish.” I want to know that in the future or somewhere they can go and be safe because given what’s happening now, I don’t feel that America is so safe anymore.

DI: Do you think that the communities on campus such as the Chabad and Hillel are providing a safe space for these students?

Gottheil: Oh, yeah. Sure, absolutely. But the campus should be a safe space, not just the Jewish organizations. We don’t expect the Latina-Latino students to have to go to their center to feel safe. We have to feel safe everywhere.

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A group of Jewish students and leaders on campus gathered at the Alma Mater statue for a display of Jewish pride around 2 p.m. this afternoon. 

In an email from Jewish student leadership on April 29, they wrote to Chancellor Jones, “speaking for a large community of students who sit, fearful to leave their homes, attend class, and speak out about the open antisemitism that has plagued our campus these past days.”

The statement said the protest “has not appeared out of coincidence during a time of great celebration among (Jewish people),” in reference to Passover. 

“Make no mistake, this protest is not solely about the situation in Gaza but rather serves to instill fear into our community, in hopes that we will stay silent and to make us pariahs on campus,” the statement said. 

The email, which includes signatures from the President of Hillel Ben Shapiro, President of Chabad Ellie Scott and presidents of various Jewish fraternities and sororities on campus, implored the university to enforce campus policy and put an end to the encampments. 

“We call on the University to uphold their policies, hold those who violate them accountable, and remove the encampments at the heart of our campus, the main quad, as soon as possible,” the statement added. 

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University alumni started a Change petition, detailing their support to current students and attendees. The petition is titled “UIUC Alumni: Pledge to Never Give until Divestment from Israel” and currently has 207 signatures.

Alum Buthaina Hattab started the petition. In it, Hattab wrote, “Until UIUC agrees to fulfill these demands, we pledge to never give nor participate in the University as alumni.”

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There are currently 33 tents set up, an increase from 24 hours ago.

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