Pro-Palestine protestors remain on UPenn campus despite university letter calling to disband
PHILADELPHIA - Pro-Palestinian protesters remain on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus, despite the university warning them to disband.
Alongside the encampment, some Jewish anti-Zionist organizations, who originally planned to gather by City Hall, gathered alongside them in solidarity on Sunday afternoon.
"We moved to the encampment to be in solidarity with the students here to say loud and clear that those of us that are Jewish among the crowd, that our expression of Judaism is an expression of liberation for all people," says Hannah Mermelstein.
Students and outside demonstrators first set up at Penn following a rally at City Hall on Thursday.
Despite Penn’s interim President calling on the group to disband through a letter on Friday, protestors remained throughout the weekend.
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A spokesperson for pro-Palestinian protesters says they have a series of demands.
"We are here today asking them to disclose and divest from Israeli companies, companies that are supporting the genocide of people that I am related to and family members that I care a lot about," said Selma Farsakh Ulm, a student.
The letter said, in part, "We have vigilantly supported the rights of our community members to protest peacefully. Representatives from Open Expression, University Life, and faculty leadership have engaged with some of the protestors, with limited access to the broader group. Unfortunately, blatant violations of University policies and credible reports of harassing and intimidating conduct compel us to protect the safety and security of our campus community."
Organizers say they do not plan to leave.
"I think it’s important that they allow such a peaceful thing happening," said Ulm.
Emily Steinberg says she graduated from Penn in 1987 and felt she needed to show up to counter protest.
"It’s a very important place to me and this is disgraceful," she said. "It’s hard for me not to take this as an antisemitic response."
A spokesperson for the university gave FOX 29 the following statement Sunday evening:
"After many efforts to engage the protesters, the Interim President and Provost met with several student and faculty protestors Saturday night to hear their concerns. They reiterated to the protestors the importance of complying with Penn's policies, which are designed to support open expression, while ensuring the safety of all on our campus. Tonight, representatives from Open Expression communicated Penn's identification policies and informed the protestors of their obligation to comply with these policies."