UI: Protest probe not complete yet

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URBANA — Seven people stand charged with alleged criminal offenses tied to the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in April on the University of Illinois campus.

Whether there will be more is up to university investigators, Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz indicated, though there are “no other pending court dates” at this time.

Arthur P. Paganini, 23, of Urbana, and Victor H. Smith, 20, of Champaign, were each charged this month with one count of mob action.

That’s a Class 4 felony defined as having used force or violence alongside others to disturb public peace.

The two were also charged with obstructing a peace officer, a misdemeanor.

Their charges arrive on top of five other individuals charged with mob action in connection with the April 26 protests.

The first was arraigned on April 29, but UI police have since used body-camera footage, social media and license-plate readers to identify others as having allegedly broken the law during the demonstrations.

“The question of whether there will be more people charged is a question for the UIPD and whether they are going to continue to send reports to the (state’s attorney’s office) for review,” Rietz said.

“Our investigations for criminal offenses committed during the April demonstrations are still ongoing,” said Allison Vance, the university’s director of messaging.

Rietz said Smith and Paganini were both charged for actions that allegedly happened during the “morning part” of the demonstrations.

However, Rietz did not specify what specific alleged acts the two committed, as in the case of Christopher K. Zelle, 37, of Champaign, who is accused of grabbing a UI officer’s wrist during a clash between university staff and demonstrators that day.

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.

Officers 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.

The group was told they would be subject to arrest for trespassing if they did not separate, but only moved to further obstruct UI staff, Rietz said. Officers eventually moved in, physically broke the chain of linked arms and removed the structures.

Elizabeth A. Sotiropoulos, 35, of Champaign; Joseph M. Kleckner, 25, of Savanna; George A. Vassilatos, 25, of Champaign; Yafa K. Issa, 18, of Savoy; and Zelle have all been charged with mob action. Zelle was also charged with aggravated battery of a peace officer, a Class 2 felony.

The defendants each face one to three years in prison if convicted of mob action, a Class 4 felony.