2 more charged in pro-Palestinian protests on UI campus based on videos

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URBANA — Two more people are facing charges in pro-Palestinian demonstrations in April on the University of Illinois campus.

Elizabeth A. Sotiropoulos, 35, of Champaign and Joseph M. Kleckner, 25, of Savanna were each arraigned this week on one count of mob action, a Class 4 felony, and one count of obstructing a peace officer, a misdemeanor.

The charges filed against Sotiropoulos, a former Champaign school board member, and Kleckner bring the total number of people formally charged with mob action — defined as having used force or violence alongside others to disturb public peace — to five.

Two more people have also been served notices to appear in court in early August on unspecified charges, Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said, and additional notices may be issued as University of Illinois police have identified others who allegedly committed crimes during the protest.

Demonstrators gathered on UI property near the Alma Mater statue around 6 a.m. that Friday and began erecting tents in violation of campus policies on “outdoor displays” and “expressive activity on campus,” Rietz said.

UI officials said they informed the group that they were violating school policies, asked them to leave and told the demonstrators that they would be charged with trespassing if they stayed.

Rietz said UI officials attempted to negotiate with the group between 6 and 8 a.m. to remove the structures, but UI police became concerned about social-media postings requesting that more people come to “defend the camp.”

At 8:23 a.m., UI police said the group had erected eight to 10 camping tents and a “larger yurt structure” using a shovel to dig into the ground, Rietz said. Oofficers and university staff then arrived to remove the structures.

However, demonstrators circled around the structure and linked arms to form a chain, blocking access, Rietz said. She said the group was told they would be subject to arrest for trespassing if they did not separate and were given time to disband, but only moved to further obstruct university staff.

During this encounter, officers took hold of one demonstrator — George A. Vassilatos, 25, of Champaign — in an effort to separate the group, Rietz said, but Vassilatos allegedly dropped to the ground in an attempt to prevent his removal. He was then arrested and charged May 1 with one count of mob action and one count of obstruction to a peace officer.

UI officers eventually broke the chain of linked arms and removed the structures. Investigators later compared footage from officers’ body cameras with other media to identify demonstrators who were involved in pushing and shoving officers.

Investigators matched footage from Sotiropoulos speaking at an Urbana City Council meeting to identify her as a demonstrator in the group, Rietz said.

Likewise, investigators used a license-plate reader to identify a vehicle dropping off supplies for the demonstrator group. The registration and driver’s-license photo for that vehicle identified Kleckner as a demonstrator in the group.

The other two people facing charges so far are Christopher K. Zelle, 37, of Champaign, who was arraigned April 29 on two counts of mob action and one count of aggravated battery to a peace officer for his alleged role in the demonstrations, and Yafa K. Issa, 18, of Savoy, who was arraigned July 9 on one count of mob action after investigators allegedly identified her through her Instagram profile as being involved in an incident between police and demonstrators around 3:15 p.m. that day.

Sotiropoulous, Kleckner, Vassilatos and Issa each face one to three years in prison if convicted of mob action. Zelle faces three to seven years in prison if convicted of aggravated battery to a peace officer, a Class 2 felony.