4 Northwestern University employees charged with obstructing police after pro-Palestinian protests
EVANSTON, Ill. (WLS) -- Four people who have been cited with misdemeanors after the pro-Palestinian protests on Northwest University's campus earlier this year are employees of the university, one of the staff members confirmed to ABC7 Thursday.
The citations were for obstructing a police officer during the protests in April on Deering Meadow, and they were issued by the Northwestern Police Department, a spokesperson for the university said Wednesday.
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A statement from the spokesperson read in part, "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."
It was three months ago, when most students were still in class, that protests over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict swept college campuses around the country, including Evanston's Northwestern University. Northwestern reached a deal with demonstrators to end the on campus protests, but Northwestern Assistant Professor Alithia Zamantakis said that was not the end of it. Zamantakis is one of the four university employees who have now been charged criminally for allegedly obstructing police after participating in the protests.
"When I refused to come in, they came to my office, and that's where I was effectively arrested and charged," Zamantakis said.
A genocide is happening and I was acting in accordance... they were attempting to silence us...Alithia Zamantakis, Northwestern Assistant Professor
The assistant professor said Northwestern University police read her Miranda rights in her on-campus office. Zamantakis believes the charges are a violation of the academic freedom educators and students are supposed to have at the school.
"A genocide is happening and I was acting in accordance... they were attempting to silence us," Zamantakis said.
Northwestern acknowledged the charges in a written statement, which also read, "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."
Zamantakis disagrees.
"They are, in our and our lawyer's opinion, bogus charges," Zamantakis said. "We're hoping the state's attorney's office will drop the charges."
The charges have been filed with the Cook County State's Attorney's office. The Class A misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.
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