Illinois Students Who Protested Gaza Genocide Are Facing Felony Mob Charges

Students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) — one of the largest public universities in the country — constructed an encampment known as the Popular University for Gaza in April 2024. They eventually voluntarily disassembled the encampment.

In July, Champaign County State’s Attorney #JuliaRietz — who has been on the faculty of UIUC’s law school since 2009 — began issuing summonses to appear in court for Class Four felony mob action charges, which carry up to three years in prison. Rietz publicly stated that these charges were pursued at the direct request of the university.

As the current round of Israeli violence in #Gaza surpasses the one-year mark, #UIUC has staked its position firmly out as one of the most threatening schools in the U.S. for students who are outwardly opposed to ethnic cleansing, #apartheid and genocide.

TruthOut / https://archive.fo/vtWWj @palestine