PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A night after protests at the University of Pennsylvania that led to 19 arrests, dozens of people representing a group called the Drexel Palestine Coalition marched from City Hall to University City on Saturday and set up another encampment on the campus of Drexel University.
Protesters poured into the Korman Family Quad on the campus, about 100 yards from Market Street, prompting a lockdown of school buildings. There, Drexel said in a statement, about 75 protesters set up a Gaza solidarity encampment — a little more than a dozen tents on the grassy area — as protesters alternately made speeches, recited prayers for the people of Gaza and chanted for a free Palestine.
One protester told KYW Newsradio they want the university to divest from Israel and become more transparent about university investments, and they are calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Initially, police erected barricades around the quad as a safety measure, to help keep protesters and any potential counter-protesters from clashing.
"[Drexel Police Chief Melvin Singleton] stated that his concern was that other encampments in the area and around the country — that counter-protesters had gotten up in the space where other protesters are, and he does not want the scenario where two groups of protesters are up against each other," said Anya Fox, who was there as a legal observer.
No counter-protesters showed up, but protesters and police clashed moments later, when protesters seized the barricades, dragging them into the encampment. “We keep us safe,” they shouted.
That led to a very tense situation, when police rushed the encampment, seizing the barriers back. At one point, protesters and police were chest to chest in a screaming match until Drexel Police Chief Melvin Singleton, protest leaders, and some officers separated the shouting groups and restored a moment of peace.
Police re-established the barricades, and tensions remained high late into the evening. Singleton continuously met with protest leaders. When a police unit in riot gear left the quad, protesters erupted in cheers.
No arrests were reported. About a dozen tents remained Sunday, blocked off by barricades and monitored by police officers.
In a statement from the university, Drexel's president said university police and public safety "are closely monitoring this demonstration to ensure that it is peaceful and non-disruptive to normal operations."
It goes on to say the school will be prepared to respond quickly to any disruptive or threatening behavior by anyone.