PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A group of student protesters rushed Franklin Field at the Penn Quakers’ homecoming football game against Yale on Saturday, stalling the game for about an hour. Several students were detained after the protests.
Dozens of students with the group Fossil Free Penn stood near the 40 yard line holding large orange protest banners. One read “Save the UC Townhomes.”
Part of the protest involved the planned sale of the property of the University City Townhomes, an affordable housing complex near the corner of South 39th and Market streets. Residents of the townhomes have been scheduled to be evicted.
“Penn has a very special place in the city of Philadelphia, one of the poorest cities in the country, to actually make good,” said Sabira, a sophomore from West Philadelphia.
She said the protesters had three demands for Penn leaders: Divest from fossil fuel investments, save the UC Townhomes, and pay local taxes in the PILOT (Payments in Lieu of Taxes) program to support the School District of Philadelphia.
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Some fans booed, and then cheered as some of the students were taken off the field by police and detained.
“They’re losing allies by doing this, because all these people who came to see a football game are now unsympathetic,” said Edward Stafford, a 1979 Penn graduate.
“This is ridiculous, this is absurd and it is counterproductive. They are not building alliances. They are building opponents.”
As Yale football players stood on the sideline, some alumni in the stands were annoyed with the disruption of the homecoming game. But others cheered them on from the stands.
“I think everybody in the stands should be out there with them,” Mark Pepper said.
“We need more protesting. I went to Penn in the 70s just after the Vietnam War. Protests stopped because the war ended.”
Most students left the field after less than an hour.
“I think it’s really sad the way they’ve been treated today with students and alumni cheering as they were taken off and arrested by police,” said Joy Olatunde, a Penn junior.
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“I think all they’re trying to do is hold Penn accountable. Those are all very fair asks from an institution that claims to want to promote education and good things in society.”
Olatunde said there wasn’t anything wrong with the student group’s demands.
“Today has been really disappointing,” she said.
Students say they have been protesting for more than a month, including camping out during harsh weather.
The university shared this statement in full after the protest:
The intentional disruption of today’s football game was neither an appropriate expression of free speech, nor consistent with Penn’s open expression guidelines. It delayed the start of the second half by approximately one-hour, frustrating student-athletes from both schools, and disappointing fans and alumni who had come to watch the Homecoming football game.
Further, the student protesters have been afforded multiple opportunities to protest, express their concerns, and genuinely engage in productive dialogue, but have instead continued to find ways to disrupt the operations of the University. The student protesters’ conduct does nothing to advance their legitimate policy concerns, concerns the University shares, but rather impinges upon the rights of others in the community to participate in the life of the campus.
Consistent with University policy, any student believed to have been involved in disrupting and delaying today’s football game will be referred to the Office of Community Standards and Accountability.
The University of Pennsylvania supports free speech, thought, inquiry, and lawful assembly. Penn’s Guidelines on Open Expression champion these rights while also affirming that University business – such as classes, meetings, games, or speaking events – shall not be infringed upon or disrupted by protests or demonstrations.