UPDATE: May 6, 12:37 p.m.
At noon, Illinois State Representatives Bob Morgan, Daniel Didech and Tracy Katz Muhl gave a press conference at the north side of the Main Quad to express solidarity for Jewish students at the University.
The Daily Illini spoke with Daniel Didech, representative for the 59th District, about his views on University administration, the encampment and the role of First Amendment rights in protests.
**This interview has been edited for length and clarity.**
DI: What was the reason for you coming down to Champaign-Urbana?
Didech: We are here today to show support for really the entire University community, but specifically the Jewish community that, not just in Illinois, but across the country, has been alarmed by the rise in some of the uncontrollable campus demonstrations.
So we’re here to lend our voices to the University administration and the faculty and the students to express our beliefs that we can respect the First Amendment rights of all students to make their voices heard. But, at the same time, everybody has to follow the University policies, and there should be consequences for people who don’t follow the University policies.
DI: You met with the administration earlier before your press conference, can you tell me a little bit about what you talked about?
Didech: We, myself as a legislator and the entire Jewish caucus, have a relationship with the administration that we consider a partnership. We’ve met with them at least half a dozen times over the past few years to talk about the rise of antisemitism on campus and what they can do and how we can be partners in addressing that. It’s the same thing we talked about today.
How can we continue to allow Universities to be a place where people can speak their minds and persuade people and have their voices heard, but without turning it into an environment where Jewish students and their parents feel like it’s not safe for them to be on campus.
That is the continuing conversation that we are involved in with the University administration today.
DI: At the press conference, students representatives of Jews from Palestine are here holding signs. Can you give me a statement about that?
Didech: They absolutely have the right, just like anybody else, to make their voices heard and to advocate for a cause that’s important to them. But, we have to make sure that everybody has those rights, right?
You know, some of the problems we’ve seen on other campuses with these permanent encampments is they monopolize the public forums — you’re only allowed to express your views if they fall within what that group believes is the correct view. I think we need to avoid it here at the University of Illinois.
It is absolutely legitimate. I think this is the right place for people who feel that way about an international conflict to express their views, but people who feel a different way should have the same right to express their views as well. Or even if they don’t want to express their views, they should be able to do what they need to do without a constant stream of disruption.
