May 3, 2:04 p.m.
The Daily Illini spoke with State Representative Abdelnasser Rashid, who was present at the encampment this afternoon. Rashid is the first Palestinian-American to serve in the Illinois House of Representatives and represents the 21st District, which covers part of the Chicagoland area. State Representative Carol Ammons, whose district includes the University, was also present at the scene.
**This interview has been edited for length and clarity.**
DI: Can you tell us why you’re here today?
Rashid: I’m here to support the students in their peaceful protest against the genocide that is unfolding in Gaza and supporting their calls for universities to divest their funds from supporting Israel’s war crimes. I’m here to thank them and let them know that they’ve inspired me and so many other people across the country.
DI: Are you planning to meet with the student organizers, or have you already met with them?
Rashid: I’ve been talking to student organizers for some time now — here and on campuses throughout Illinois — to make sure that their rights are protected, to connect them with legal organizations and to make sure that they are respected in this work. And so I’ll continue that engagement.
DI: Do you have any plans on meeting with the administration of the University, or have you already met with them?
Rashid: I’ve put in phone calls to administrators at various universities, the U of I and the UI system and to fellow elected officials who represent these universities.
DI: Do you have any plans to write a statement to release publicly at all about the situation?
Rashid: Well, I’ve been speaking publicly, but essentially my statement is that I stand with the students who are peacefully protesting to stop billions of dollars of American funding to Israel, including through their university endowments; that is something that we should all be fighting for.
This is the type of protest that is part of the American DNA; the type of protest that we saw in the civil rights movement and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and that Americans should resonate with.
DI: You said that you support the freedom of their protest and allow them to speak freely. There have been counterprotests as well from Jewish students and Jewish organizations on campus. Can you talk a little bit about that and how you feel about that situation?
Rashid: Well, I was just talking to Jewish students who are here protesting the genocide and protesting their universities’ endowments supporting Israel’s war crimes. So many Jewish students across the country are standing up, and not just students; Jewish Voices for Peace and others that are critical of what Israel is doing and that want the United States to stop providing funds for these war crimes.
