(WTVO) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is confident Illinois can handle protests as Chicago hosts the Democratic National Convention this summer.

Pritzker appeared on CNN on Sunday morning and said protests would be permitted, to a point.

“Look, we believe in free speech, and we’re going allow people to protest, and, you know, say whatever it is they want to say,” Pritzker said. “But the reality is we’re also going to make sure that people have ingress and egress and that they’re safe in our state.”

Last Monday, pro-Palestinian protesters in Chicago and other major cities shut down highways leading to airports, bringing traffic to a standstill and disrupting travel.

Fifty-four people were arrested at O’Hare International Airport.

Pritzker was asked if similar protests would overshadow the convention, or become violent like the anti-Vietnam war demonstrations at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

“Protesters were out and about across the country, and it was in Chicago where they ended that protest the soonest. Our Chicago Police Department was able to get those folks off the highway faster than any other city in the United States, and they’re prepared for the Democratic convention,” Pritzker said.

Chicago has $75 million in federal funding to pay for security at the United Center and McCormick Place during the convention.