Today, the University of Pennsylvania reported that 33 individuals were arrested during the removal of an anti-Israel encampment on its Philadelphia campus. The operation, which commenced at 5:30 am, was carried out by Penn Police with assistance from the Philadelphia Police Department.
A spokesperson stated that the protestors had been repeatedly warned about trespassing and were given the option to leave voluntarily to avoid citation. However, those who remained were aware that they would face arrest. Ultimately, 33 individuals were arrested without incident and cited for defiant trespass.
In a joint statement released this morning, Interim UPenn President J. Larry Jameson and other university officials expressed that the dismantling of the encampment was regrettable but deemed necessary to prevent violence, restore normal operations, and reclaim the campus for the community.
The university officials highlighted that efforts had been made over the past two weeks to engage with the protestors, who were initially notified of policy violations on April 26th, the second day of the encampment. Despite outreach attempts, the protestors reportedly made unreasonable demands and escalated the situation, leading to the decision to remove the encampment.
