UPDATE: April 26, 4:15 p.m.
The Daily Illini spoke with a student member of the University Chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. The student has elected not to be identified by name for safety concerns.
This has been edited for clarity.
The Daily Illini: Can you guys talk about what you are doing here today?
Student member of SJP: Today we are showing our solidarity with the people of Gaza and the people of Palestine that had been occupied for the past 76 years. And we’re doing this through a solidarity cam. Yeah, so we call it the liberation zone.
DI: This morning, the police came to the encampments, could you talk about that?
Student: Yeah, we set up the camps at 5 a.m., and immediately we were met with a lot of pressure from the school and police to take it down. They were very unclear about the rules and regulations surrounding camp and putting up camps. And even when I tried to raise questions about it, I was immediately met with a short temper with anger. They were being extremely, extremely rude, and even when I tried to just to say I’m practicing my first amendment right, I was met with the response on behalf of a police saying that it is not my first amendment right to ask questions. Immediately after that they began getting violent with protesters. We are not being violent at all.
We decided that we are not leaving because the school is complicit in the genocide and occupation of the Palestinian people. And we will not allow that to happen. We’re not going to watch this go by.
DI: Could you speak on that and what you guys plan to do if the police come in?
Student: Yeah, so the police have made it very firm and very clear that they do not want us to be doing this. I think that it shows just how much power we have and how much power we told our students. And our response to this is that we’re not leaving. We have three clear demands, the main one being divestment from scientists, weapon manufacturers and institutions, and we are not going anywhere until we are met with that demand. We are not leaving; they can take our tents.
We’re coming back. They can arrest our people but we will just grow more. There is a meeting scheduled with the administration on Monday at 5 p.m.
So a different group of pro-Palestinian organizers here on campus, organized a protest or mass mobilization to pressure the school into meeting one of three demands, which was somewhat met on behalf of the school, through giving a meeting with the chancellor.
So that’s kind of unrelated to what we’re doing now. We’re more pressuring for divestment. That is more of a negotiation with administration on meeting the demands that they pressured, but we are in full support of them. Anyone that shows support for the Palestinian people is one of us.
