CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A downstate Champaign elected official’s use of an antisemitic symbol on his personal Facebook page has drawn condemnation from his colleagues.
Davion Williams, a member of the Champaign City Council, posted a swastika on his page, according to a statement from Champaign Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen and the other council members.
The other members included Alicia Beck, Jamar Brown, Michael Foellmer, Matthew Gladney, Will Kyles, Vanna Pianfetti and Kathy Shannon.
The University of Illinois’ flagship campus is based in Champaign and neighboring Urbana.
Davion Williams | City of Champaign
‘Unacceptable,’ ‘reckless’ post
What we know:
Williams posted the image on Friday and defended his use of the symbol, according to the statement. He changed his profile picture to the image of a swastika, according to local media reports.
Williams was elected to the Champaign City Council in 2021 and represents the northern part of the city.
He did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the post on Saturday.
What they’re saying:
“This blatant display and disregard for the values we uphold as a City is unacceptable,” the officials said of Williams’ post. “His posts and comments were reckless and we strongly condemn them. We refuse to allow his statements to reflect our City organization or our community.”
The group added, “We cannot be silent today! We stand and loudly affirm our commitment to denounce hate at every turn and speak truth and acknowledge the pain of our diverse community members who still suffer due to hate and discrimination.”
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