33 Pro-Palestinian Protesters Arrested On Penn's Campus
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Police Friday morning broke up the pro-Palestinian protester encampment on the University of Pennsylvania's campus after more than two weeks of the demonstration's beginning.According to Action News, police gave a 2-minute warning to those camped out on the school's campus at about 5:50 a.m. Friday.While most of the Gaza solidarity participants left the encampment, a few holdouts stayed in front of the school's Ben Franklin statue on the college green. They were eventually taken into custody, NBC10 reports.The Philadelphia Inquirer reports some protesters formed a human chain to prevent a police van from taking those detainees away, but that those protesters were also arrested.Philadelphia officials said 33 people were arrested on defiant trespass charges. They were issued Code Violation Notices.No one was hurt, city officials said.Gov. Josh Shapiro Thursday called for the school to end the encampment, saying "more rules have been violated, more laws have been broken."That is absolutely unacceptable," he said.The move comes the day after Penn placed six students who have been active in the movement on mandatory leaves of absence.In a letter to the six students, Vice Provost for University of Life Karu Kozuma said the six were no longer allowed in academic buildings, be on campus, or participate in university programming.The students can, however, enter campus 30 minutes before any finals they may have, but must leave 30 minutes after those finals' conclusions.According to protest organizers, one student included in the leave of absence is an international student who has been locked out of her dorm with on prior notice and cannot access her belongings.Organizers area calling the move an eviction."In a display of hypocrisy, administration informed students they 'contributed to the increasingly unsafe conditions' of the campus," organizers said on social media. "Yet they have neglected to confront the academic devastation, scholasticide, and destruction of over 445 academic institutions in Gaza."Organizers also said the school has not taken any action against "Zionist agitators who have continually physically and verbally assaulted encampment members, shouting Islamophobic and racist remarks and threatening violence."Student protesters have given Penn eight demands, including divestment from corporations that "profit from Israel's war on Gaza and occupations in Palestine" and not to approve study abroad programs to regions where Penn students are denied entry based on their identity as Palestinians or Jews.The Gaza Health Ministry reports nearly 35,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, in which about 1,200 people — including civilians, law enforcement officers, and Israel Defense Force service members — were killed.The article 33 Pro-Palestinian Protesters Arrested On Penn's Campus appeared first on Philadelphia, PA Patch.
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