What’s New
Northwestern University’s police department has arrested and charged four people — including at least three employees — for allegedly obstructing law enforcement at an pro-Palestinian encampment on the Evanston, Ill., campus in April. The criminal charges represent the latest example of action taken by colleges and law-enforcement officials against faculty and staff, as well as students, for participating in on-campus pro-Palestinian activism, fueling concerns about speech and protest rights.
Northwestern’s Educators for Justice in Palestine chapter said this week that the individuals arrested and cited included two assistant professors, a librarian, and a graduate student.
According to Cook County court records obtained by The Chronicle, the two assistant professors, Steven Thrasher and Alithia Zamantakis, and the librarian, Josh Honn, are being charged with obstruction of a peace officer. The Chronicle was not able to identify the graduate student.
The Details
Jon Yates, a Northwestern spokesperson, confirmed on Thursday that the Northwestern Police Department issued Class A misdemeanor citations to four individuals during an April 25 campus protest. The event occurred the same day that activists put up a pro-Palestinian encampment.
“While the university permits peaceful demonstrations, it does not permit activity that disrupts university operations, violates the law, or includes the intimidation or harassment of members of the community,” Yates wrote in an email to The Chronicle.
Under Illinois law, the misdemeanor charges could result in an up to one-year prison sentence and a $2,500 fine.
Honn, the librarian, said the charges against him stem from his participation in a human barricade formed by faculty and staff to shield student protesters from university police officers. Honn said at some point law enforcement charged at the line, knocking him over, but that was the extent of the interaction.
Honn said he was detained by university police officers in his campus office on June 26. The police department had attempted to persuade him to pick up paperwork related to an investigation for two days over the phone, though they said he was not obligated to do so. The police department declined to share details with Honn about what the paperwork was for, referencing privacy concerns.
“To say, ‘come in and pick up paperwork,’ when what they mean is come in and pick up a citation and read your rights, it’s beyond negligence,” he said. “It feels manipulative and intimidating.”
Zamantakis, the assistant professor who was charged, said the university’s decision to pursue the arrests and charges while many students and faculty are away for the summer reflects a desire to dodge accountability. She believes the disciplinary actions were prompted by overwhelming criticism of the university’s deal with protestors, she added.
University leaders struck a deal with protesters that disbanded their encampment after five days. One tent was allowed to remain on campus until June 1. The agreement was one of the first reached between administrators and student activists as dozens of colleges found themselves embroiled in conflict over encampments, resulting in thousands of arrests.
“In my eyes, this is Northwestern attempting to show that they did something about antisemitism, which, in reality, is false, because standing with Palestine is not antisemitic,” she said.
Zamantakis appeared in court on July 15, where she was formally read her charges by a judge, according to court records.
The Backdrop
In May, Northwestern’s president, Michael H. Schill, testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce about his negotiations with protesters, which Republican lawmakers condemned as a capitulation to students who had violated campus policies with their encampment.
Lawmakers weren’t the only people to criticize Schill’s leadership. A lawsuit filed in May alleges that the college failed to protect Jewish students from antisemitism on campus. The Anti-Defamation League, a pro-Israel advocacy organization, called on Schill to resign, criticizing his appearance before Congress and his handling of antisemitism at the university.
Faculty across the country are facing severe consequences, such as arrests and forced leaves, for their alleged involvement in mostly nonviolent pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Six faculty members at Washington University in St. Louis were placed on leave in April pending an investigation into their presence at an encampment, for example.
Meanwhile, many protesters are trapped in legal uncertainty as university leaders strive to assert the importance of their rules and ensure students who violate them face consequences, while upholding students’ freedom of expression rights. As fall approaches, their goal is to maintain safe campuses without the disturbance of protests that have left some Jewish students feeling unsafe.
What’s Next?
The three employees have a court hearing scheduled on August 15.
