Students protest University of Illinois Trustees meeting, demand condemnation of Israel's killing of Palestinians
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Dozens of people, including students, protested a University of Illinois Chicago Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, calling on the administration to divest from supporting Israel and stand in solidary with Palestinian-American students.
The meeting of the Board of Trustees for the entire University of Illinois system was held at the Isadore and Sadie Dorin forum at the University of Illinois Chicago. A handful of students first joined the public section of the meeting, which occurs monthly and is livestreamed, while others protested outside.
After 10 a.m., students who made it inside the meeting could be heard on the live stream interrupting a presentation by President Tim Killeen.
"Over 11,000 Palestinians have been massacred just this month alone, and their blood is on all your hands," said one student, who was out of view on the livestream, citing numbers from the Gaza Health Ministry.
Palestinian American students at UIC and their allies have long criticized the university's decision to invest in activities and programs connected to Israel, including university-sponsored summer abroad programs – citing the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians living there, and students who have visited.
Students previously interviewed by CBS 2 also accused the university of censoring and creating a hostile environment for students of Palestinian heritage and others who voice support for Palestine, and previously filed a Title VI complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.
On Thursday during the meeting, one student told the Board of Trustees, "You failed us."
"What is your answer? Do you have an answer? Will you divest from genocide?" the student asked.
Neither Killeen nor the Board of Trustees responded, and the students continued.
"How many times do we have to yell?" one student said. "How many times do we have to scream for you to hear us that you have blood on your hands? Divest now and condemn Israel's attacks."
"It's time that you sit down and be quiet or leave the room so that the board may proceed with it's business," said board Chair Donald Edwards. "There is public comment – we have a public comment session."
The students continued speaking, and not long after, the board meeting recessed and the livestream ended.
Cellphone video from inside the meeting obtained by CBS 2 shows a portion of what happened afterward. Police officers can be seen pushing students out of the room as they shouted "Free, free Palestine" to the Board of Trustees.
Approximately 50 additional people protested the meeting from outside the building, according to video obtained from some of those who attended. One woman who was part of the group at one point spoke to the crowd and referenced an Oct. 11 statement from Killeen about the Israel-Hamas War, which she said did not express adequate support for Palestinians or Palestinian-American students.
"We're here because of that disgusting letter that the president of UIC… and all three chancellors of all the U of I System schools sent out and signed off on, and how one-sided and extremely racist it was," the student said.
The video also shows there were tense moments between the police officers and those protesting outside. Protesters began shouting and banging on the windows, in the direction of the Trustees meeting, which was still under way inside.
As police officers blocked the doors, students attempted to yell through them, saying, "Shame on you, Shame on you," to the Trustees meeting.
In the video, police officers and other university officials can be seen pushing protesters away from the doors. Two attendees of the protest told CBS 2 they were not attempting to get back into the building, but instead wanted the Board of Trustees to hear their demands since they were no longer allowed inside.
In response to CBS 2's request for comment about the protest and the students' demands, a spokesperson for the U of I System first provided the following statement, and then asked to retract it:
"The University of Illinois Board of Trustees supports free speech and welcomes public comment. During board meetings, audience members are provided an opportunity to address the board by registering to speak during a public comment period. We understand that many people within our universities are affected by the conflict in Israel and Gaza, and that emotions and feelings are running high, but unfortunately the people who protested at the meeting today did not register to speak and were asked to leave so the board could proceed with its business. No students were arrested in connection with this incident. The system administration has worked diligently to increase awareness of campus resources that are available to support students in times such as these."
The spokesperson then sent the following new statement:
"The Board of Trustees meeting was interrupted by protestors and after a short recess the board resumed its business and nobody was arrested in relation to this incident."
When asked why a new statement was sent, a spokesperson for the U of I System described an internal breakdown in communication, where not everyone on the Board of Trustees had an opportunity to review the statement before it was provided to CBS 2. In addition, U of I originally said the students were asked to leave the meeting because they did not register to speak. But the spokesperson told CBS 2 that wasn't the reason, and the students were asked to leave because the Board was unable to continue the meeting, in accordance with state law, due to the interruption.