UPDATE: April 30, 5:20 p.m.
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.
