Pro-Palestine protesters have occupied the Institute of Politics building on South Woodlawn Avenue. After a rally on the Midway, pro-Palestine protesters marched north and turned into the Institute of Politics building.
Protesters brought chairs into the building, locked doors, and spray painted security cameras as they entered the building.
They were followed by a line of marked and unmarked Chicago Police Department cars.
Chicago Police Officers and University of Chicago Police Officers were on site attempting to remove protesters from blocking the street.
A protester installed a tent in the backyard. Five UCPD officers arrived shortly after, taking away the tent materials. They were seen arguing with protesters in the backyard.
Protesters began chanting, “From the River to the Sea; Palestine will be free.”
An organizer with Student for Justice in Palestine (SJP) said that SJP was not involved in organizing the occupation of the IOP.
This is a developing story. View live updates here as the situation progresses.
Nancy Pelosi / May 17, 2024 at 6:11 pm
What a disgusting bunch of anti-Semitic bigots and vandals. Hope they’re prosecuted.
linden / May 17, 2024 at 7:55 pm
You conflation of antisemitism with opposing support of Israel is pretty antisemitism
Jack Smith / May 17, 2024 at 9:18 pm
ADL:
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is an antisemitic slogan commonly featured in anti-Israel campaigns and chanted at demonstrations.
This rallying cry has long been used by anti-Israel voices, including supporters of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the PFLP, which seek Israel’s destruction through violent means. It is fundamentally a call for a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, territory that includes the State of Israel, which would mean the dismantling of the Jewish state. It is an antisemitic charge denying the Jewish right to self-determination, including through the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland.
Usage of this phrase has the effect of making members of the Jewish and pro-Israel community feel unsafe and ostracized. It is important to note that demanding justice for Palestinians, or calling for a Palestinian state, should not mean, as this hateful phrase posits, denying the right of the State of Israel to exist.
Ploni Almoni / May 18, 2024 at 8:12 pm
The location and timing of the takeover seemed designed to, as a secondary effect, intimidate and scare Jewish students away from attending communal Friday evening services at multiple UChicago Jewish community institutions in sight of the event. I heard a(n unsubstantiated) rumor that one of the institutions was cancelling all events for the evening as a precaution.
I prayed with one of the communities, and there was a smaller crowd of students than normal – we didn’t even hit the quorum for public prayer.
Consequently, I assess that the takeover crossed over the line into antisemitism because of its effects – regardless of the intent of the organizers or participants.