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Police arrest pro-Palestinian protesters at UPenn campus, disband anti-Israel encampment
Although the demonstrators refused to leave by linking arms while chanting, they were effectively led away by authorities without any violent outbursts
Philadelphia police cleared an anti-Israel encampment at the University of Pennsylvania on Friday, May 10. The cops in riot gear removed and arrested over 30 pro-Palestinian protesters after 16 days of demonstrations on campus. The protesters were given a two-minute warning at around 6 am to exit the premises before the cops wearing tactical gear began taking down their tents.
Cops arrest anti-Israel protesters at UPenn campus
About 30 minutes after the cops stormed into the UPenn campus, the majority of the protesters either fell back or were taken into custody, per NBC10. Nearly three dozen students refused to leave as they remained around the Ben Franklin statue. However, the cops then approached them, removing the protesters one at a time.
Although the demonstrators refused to leave by linking arms while chanting, they were effectively led away by authorities without any violent outbursts. One of the students named Rishi, told the outlet, “Our plan is to stay here and escalate. We're not leaving,” adding, “This encampment has not caused harm to any single student at all.”
Revealing the details of the on-campus arrests, a spokesperson for UPenn said, “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,” the spokesperson added.
What did the University of Pennsylvania say?
After cops disbanded the anti-Israel encampment that had been erected at the campus over two weeks ago, the University released a statement saying, “Today, the University issued mandatory temporary leaves of absence for six students in accordance with our policies and pending the results of the Center for Community Standards and Accountability disciplinary investigations.”
“These actions are a result of the University’s continuing response to the unauthorized encampment on College Green. We vehemently reject the characterization of students organizing within the Gaza Solidarity Encampment as 'exceptional threats' to campus safety,” the statement added.
