Pro-Palestinian protest encampments have taken over college campuses across the country. Those protesters also took over parts of Penn’s campus in University City. Now, administrators say they need to pack up and leave or face consequences. NBC10’s Katy Zachry has the latest.
What to Know
- University of Pennsylvania Interim President Dr. J. Larry Jameson accused pro-Palestinian protesters who set up camp at the school of harassment and intimidation.
- Jameson also claimed that a statue in front of Penn's College Hall was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.
- The protesters are calling for universities to separate themselves from any companies that are advancing Israel’s military efforts in Gaza — and in some cases from Israel itself.
As pro-Palestinian protesters remain in an encampment at the University of Pennsylvania, the Ivy League school's interim president called for the demonstrators to disband and claimed that a statue on campus was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.
"The vandalism of the statue in front of College Hall with antisemitic graffiti was especially reprehensible and will be investigated as a hate crime," Penn's Interim President Dr. J. Larry Jameson wrote in a statement to the school community Friday night. "As we have repeatedly emphasized, we will uphold free speech and the productive exchange of ideas, but we will not allow any actions that harass, threaten, or intimidate others. We have also said that the safety of our community is paramount, and we will live up to our commitment."
Around 200 pro-Palestinian protesters marched through Center City in Philadelphia before gathering at the University of Pennsylvania to set up an encampment around 5 p.m. Thursday.
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The protesters -- described as being made up of students from Penn, Drexel University, Temple University and members of various activist groups -- then began erecting tents.
The protest remained peaceful into Friday morning and there were no reports of any arrests or injuries at the time. Throughout the day, tents and supplies filled up Blanche Levy Park at 34th and Walnut streets and signs were posted calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas War.
Some of the protesters included members of the Philly Palestine Coalition.
Friday evening however, Jameson stated that some of the protesters were violating the school's policies.
"Over the last 24 hours, we have closely monitored the protest that evolved into an encampment on College Green. We have vigilantly supported the rights of our community members to protest peacefully. Representatives from Open Expression, University Life, and faculty leadership have engaged with some of the protestors, with limited access to the broader group," Jameson wrote. "Unfortunately, blatant violations of University policies and credible reports of harassing and intimidating conduct compel us to protect the safety and security of our campus community."
In addition to stating that the statue in front of Penn's College Hall was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti, Jameson accused some of the protesters of harassment and intimidation.
"The harassing and intimidating comments and actions by some of the protesters, which were reported and documented by many in our community, violate Penn’s open expression guidelines and state and federal law, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act," he wrote. "All members of our community deserve to access our facilities without fear of harassment or being subjected to discriminatory comments or threats."
Jameson threatened sanctions against the protesters if they didn't disband.
"I am deeply saddened and troubled that our many efforts to respectfully engage in discourse, support open expression, and create a community that is free of hate and inclusive for everyone have been ignored by those who choose to disrupt and intimidate," Jameson wrote. "We have notified the protestors of their legal and policy violations. Failure to disband the encampment immediately and to adhere to Penn’s policies will result in sanctions consistent with our due process procedures as they apply to students, faculty, and staff."
Bisan Ahmad, a member of the Philly Palestine Coalition, told NBC10 the protesters will hold their ground, however.
"All I know is we are not leaving until the school divests, even if it's by force by police," she said. "Yes. We'll stand our ground."
The protest is one of many that occurred at college campuses across the country this week calling for a cease-fire in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas War. The protesters have also called on their schools to divest from all financial support of Israel.
Divestment usually refers to selling shares in companies doing business with a given country. Divestment has long been a goal of a movement that seeks to limit what it considers hostile operations by Israel and an end to expanding what the United Nations has ruled are illegal settlements.
Now, college protesters are hoping to force their universities to divest to put financial pressure on companies doing business in Israel to meet those two objectives.
During a pro-Palestinian protest at Princeton University Thursday morning, around 100 people gathered on campus and a small number of demonstrators began erecting about a half-dozen tents, which is a violation of the school’s policy, according to a spokesperson for Princeton.
“After repeated warnings from the Department of Public Safety to cease the activity and leave the area, two graduate students were arrested for trespassing,” the spokesperson wrote. “All tents were then voluntarily taken down by protestors. The two graduate students have been immediately barred from campus, pending a disciplinary process.”
Other pro-Palestinian protests in the Philly region occurred Wednesday at Swarthmore College and the University of Delaware. A planned pro-Palestinian protest at Eastern Regional High School in Camden County, New Jersey, was canceled by the school due to concerns over possible violence against Jewish students.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania responded to the protests at Penn, Swarthmore and the University of Pittsburgh:
“As student-led demonstrations against the Israeli government’s assault on the Palestinian people spread across campuses in Pennsylvania, it is imperative that university administrators remember their traditional commitment to free speech and the free exchange of ideas," ACLU of Pennsylvania executive director Mike Lee wrote.
"Since the war in Vietnam, college students have had a vital role in anti-war protests. Tragically, the United States also has a history of the awful consequences that can arise when campus administrators enlist law enforcement to quell speech with force.
"Targeted harassment rooted in racism or bigotry also has no place on college campuses or anywhere else.
"As the ACLU of Pennsylvania has made clear, demonstrations or speech that some may find intolerable is still protected under the First Amendment. The ACLU of Pennsylvania urges college and university administrators to remember the value of open debate and adhere to First Amendment principles as demonstrators express themselves on campus."
The AAUP-Penn Executive Committee sent a letter to Interim President Larry Jameson, Provost John L. Jackson, and Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli in response to their threat to shut down the encampment.
The letter read in part:
"We are deeply disturbed by the email you sent last night, which demands that peaceful protesters leave College Green on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations, including claims that their encampment threatens the safety of others.
"These allegations have been disputed to us by faculty and students who have attended and observed the demonstration.
"Your statement mischaracterizes the overall nature of an antiwar protest that necessarily involves strong emotions on both sides but has not, to our knowledge, involved any actual violence or threats of violence to individuals on our campus. To the contrary, those involved in the demonstration have worked to maintain a nonviolent space of discussion, debate, and even disagreement, in the spirit of an educational environment.
"Moreover, we have received reports of potential harassment and intimidating conduct directed at the peaceful protesters themselves, creating the concerning impression that complaints of harassment are being evaluated and policies applied in a discriminatory manner—a potential violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Penn’s administration has already been accused of establishing a pattern of discriminatory behavior in its public statements as well as its actions this year."
Israel launched its Gaza campaign soon after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group that left 1,200 Israelis dead, according to officials, with an estimated 250 people taken hostage. The subsequent military response by Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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