PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Police cleared out the pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus of Drexel University without incident Thursday morning, less than a week after protesters moved in. No arrests were made, as the protesters simply dispersed as directed.
Dozens of bike cops and officers on foot cleared out the Korman Quad shortly after 5 a.m. Some protesters chanted as they walked out.
Police said the process was relatively uneventful, unlike the encampment at the University of Pennsylvania, where 33 people were cited and charged.
Most of the Drexel protesters had no interest in speaking with the media. One young man, who did not identify himself, assured they’d be back: “Listen to us and divest from genocide.” He did not say if he was a student at Drexel.
“This won’t be the last,” he continued. “We’ll never end. We’ll always be back, until we reach divestment.”
Divestment from companies with ties to Israel was one of the many demands protesters made, along with the abolishment of Drexel’s police force.
Drexel President John Fry authorized the steps necessary to clear the protest earlier this week. He said classes would resume normal activities on Thursday, so this clear-out was coordinated with police with that return-to-normal plan in mind.
In a public notice published Thursday morning, Fry said, “While Drexel University is committed to protecting the right of its community members to assemble peacefully and express their views, I have the responsibility and authority to regulate campus gatherings in order to ensure everyone’s safety and well-being and to fulfill our mission to educate our students.
“An unauthorized encampment that involves large numbers of people unaffiliated with Drexel trespassing on our campus is illegal. The language and chants coming from this demonstration, underscored by protestors’ repugnant ‘demands,’ must now come to an end. Moreover, our Public Safety personnel have been diverted from their work to serve and protect our entire Drexel community. That is unacceptable.”
Fry advised people to avoid the area between 32nd and 33rd streets and Chestnut and Market streets until police properly secure it.