Penn for Palestine encampment still going strong

The university hosted the Penn Relay races over the weekend, so it was unlikely the administration would use Philadelphia police against students on campus just blocks from Franklin Field, where high school athletes and their families were gathered.

Over the weekend, participants in the encampment held teach-ins as the numbers of tents grew, and supporters brought food, water and other supplies. New encampments were also established at Haverford, Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore colleges in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and a peaceful march was held at the University of Delaware.

At noon on April 28, a few dozen Zionists with [aparthed] flags showed up at UPenn to protest for about 20 minutes but left when it was clear they were getting no reaction other than media coverage.

Later in the afternoon, Families for Ceasefire and Jewish Voice for Peace, which had scheduled an open Seder for outside City Hall, relocated to the encampment, where several hundred people participated. During the Seder, a Zionist began circulating through the crowd, clearly displaying a large knife and threatening people near him.

Eventually, cops removed the knife, only because encampment security demanded it. Yet police continued to accompany and protect the aggressor’s provocative movement through the family-focused event which was celebrating the traditional Jewish Passover meal.

Despite what was overall a very peaceful day, by early evening students again received notice to vacate. Within hours, over 500 supporters turned out to defend the encampment.

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