Six students from the University of Pennsylvania were among 19 protesters supporting Palestine who were arrested while trying to occupy a school building, according to university police on Saturday.
This followed the dismantling of a protest camp on campus a week earlier, which led to the arrest of nine students. At other colleges nationwide, preparations for commencement have seen similar actions, either through negotiations or police intervention to clear protest camps.
Members of Penn Students Against the Occupation of Palestine announced their plans at Fisher-Bennett Hall, calling on supporters to bring various items like flags, pots, pans, noise-makers, and megaphones, as reported by the University of Pennsylvania Division of Public Safety.
A protestor taken into custody (Via Alex Anderson/Via Shutterstock)
Reports indicated that police moved in swiftly, with university and city officers escorting the protesters out and securing the building shortly after the announcement.
Police later reported finding lock-picking tools and homemade metal shields made from oil drums inside the building. They described how exit doors had been secured with zip ties and barbed wire, and entrances barricaded with metal chairs, desks, and bike racks. Windows were covered with newspaper and cardboard.
Seven of the arrested students were held in custody on Saturday, facing felony charges, including one for assaulting an officer, according to campus police. Twelve others were cited for failing to disperse and follow police orders, and they have since been released.
