Drexel University in Philadelphia brings in police to clear out anti-Israel encampment
PHILADELPHIA — Protesters pack up their belongings and leave an anti-Israel encampment at Drexel University after the school announces a decision to have police clear the encampment.
University President John Fry says in a statement that he decided to have campus police and public safety officers join Philadelphia police in clearing the encampment as peacefully as possible. News outlets report that police gave protesters a warning to clear the encampment and protesters left. Protesters didn’t immediately comment.
Fry says the university is committed to protecting the community members’ right to assemble peacefully and express their views, but he has the responsibility and authority to regulate campus gatherings to ensure safety and fulfill the mission to educate students.
“An unauthorized encampment that involves large numbers of people unaffiliated with Drexel trespassing on our campus is illegal,” Fry says.
“The language and chants coming from this demonstration, underscored by protestors’ repugnant ‘demands,’ must now come to an end.”
Protesters gather their belongings as dozens of officers on bicycles arrive around 5:20 a.m., but in less than a half hour only a few items remained on the Korman Family Quad where the 35-tent encampment had been, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Drexel University free Palestine camp is over as of five minutes ago. Ultimatum given by Drexel police… Philly police enforce it… most protesters leave voluntarily. No known arrests made. @FOX29philly pic.twitter.com/VhZ8vjF6eK
— Hank Flynn (@HankFox29) May 23, 2024
“The campers picked up their belongings for the most part and left by their own free will,” Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp says.
A wave of anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian tent encampments on college campuses calling on universities to cut financial ties with Israel has led to over 3,000 arrests nationwide amid the ongoing war in Gaza, which began with Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.