PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Police arrested dozens of protesters early Friday morning and dismantled the Palestinian solidarity encampment that had been set up in the middle of the University of Pennsylvania's campus for the last two weeks.
Philadelphia police, Penn police and highway patrol officers — armed in riot gear — started moving in on the encampment between 5:30 and 6 a.m. Penn students received an alert at 5:58 a.m. asking them to avoid the area of College Green due to police activity.
When police arrived, they announced over a bullhorn that the protesters had two minutes to break down their camp and leave.
Some ran off with their belongings. Many stayed and moved to the Ben Franklin statue, linking arms and singing.
Through chants, dozens of protesters were handcuffed and removed from the encampment one by one. Some protesters walked out with police while others passively resisted arrest and had to be carried out.
No violence was reported.
Penn issued a statement around 8:45 a.m.: "At approximately 5:30am this morning, Penn Police, with support from the Philadelphia Police Department, took steps to remove the unauthorized encampment on College Green. Protestors were given multiple warnings that they were trespassing and offered the opportunity to voluntarily leave and avoid citation. Those who chose to stay did so knowing that they would be arrested and removed. Approximately 33 individuals were arrested without incident and cited for defiant trespass."
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner confirmed that the 33 protesters were cited with defiant trespass, but he said it is not a criminal charge and will not show up on their records.
Once all the protesters were cleared from College Green, Penn crews tossed the tents, canopies, signs, flags and other items into trash trucks.
As police arrested the last of the encampment protesters, a group of other protesters linked arms in an attempt to block police vehicles from leaving.
"We did not want our students to be arrested, and we were trying to take whatever measure available to us to prevent that," said Dagmari Woubshet, a professor of English at Penn.
When he and other faculty members learned police were breaking down the encampment, they rushed over. However, the area was quickly shut down by police. Woubshet and four other faculty then sat at the corner of Walnut and 34th streets, blocking police vans with students inside.
"We tried to go near the encampment so we can stand by our students and also observe what was taking place," said Woubshet. "The entire university is surrounded and we couldn't get access to the encampment. We wanted to be in solidarity with our students who are being punished in this extreme, punitive way for engaging in a peaceful demonstration, engaging in acts protected by their First Amendment."
Police created a cordon from the encampment down to the brick walkway and street corner, and they were able to push the sitting protesters out of the way so the vehicles could get through.
The students inside the vans banged on the walls as faculty chanted in support of the students and the people of Gaza. Dozens more faculty gathered, chanting, "We see you, we love you, we will not forget you."
Forced to move to the street corner, faculty continued their protest there. They were released without charges.
Six Penn students participating in the encampment were placed on mandatory temporary leaves of absence Thursday evening, pending the results of an investigation.
University administrators have consistently said the encampment is a violation of university policies and has led to harassment and threats between organizers and others. People in the encampment, as well as counter-protesters, have claimed instances of harassment.
Jewish students, faculty and alumni delivered a petition with 3,000 signatures to interim President Larry Jameson on May 2, urging him to take action. Since then, negotiations have taken place between officials and organizers without a resolution.
Jewish students and counter-protesters have claimed instances of harassment and intimidation from those in the encampment, as well as antisemitic chants and vandalism.
Gov. Josh Shapiro addressed the encampment at an event outside Pittsburgh on Thursday, saying the situation had gotten out of control.
"All students should feel safe when they're on campus. All students have a legal right to feel safe on campus. And the University of Pennsylvania has an obligation to their safety. It is past time for the university to act, to address this, to disband the encampment, and to ensure order and safety on campus," he said.
