19 Protesters Arrested After Trying to Occupy Penn Building – NBC10 Philadelphia

A university spokesman said nineteen protesters, including six students, were detained by police Friday evening after trying to occupy a building on the University of Pennsylvania campus.

Seven students arrested Friday remained in custody Saturday awaiting charges, including one person who assaulted an officer, campus police said. A dozen or so were fined for failing to comply with police orders. They were released from custody.

Around 9 p.m., pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets of University City again.

Activists blocked the road near 34th and Walnut Streets, and a group of them entered Fisher-Bennet Hall on Penn’s campus.

“Twelve people were issued tickets for failing to comply with police orders and failing to comply with police orders and subsequently released. “Seven remain in custody awaiting criminal charges, including one for assaulting a police officer,” the spokesman said in a statement.

The spokesman added that after clearing the building, Penn police found lock-picking tools and homemade metal covers made from oil drums. The exit doors were secured with zip ties, barbed wire and barricaded with metal chairs and desks, and the windows were covered with newspapers and cardboard. Bicycle racks and metal chairs were also found to be blocking exterior entrances.

SkyForce10 was above the protest site where police could be seen lined up next to the crowd on the sidewalk. Some officers wore helmets and carried batons, and some had zippered handcuffs visible.

Some protesters could be seen banging pots and pans, while others used noise-making devices in the presence of police officers.

Just before 10 p.m., protesters appeared to run into the street where officers were standing.

Our cameras captured moments when the group chanted “We hold power” while a woman shouted the chant through a megaphone.

Some of the group formed a long line from sidewalk to sidewalk, and the rest of the protesters gathered behind them, facing police officers who were also in line.

One person could be seen on the shoulders of another protester, holding a Palestinian flag.

Then around 10:30 a.m., a group of protesters moved to the intersection just behind Franklin Field at the corner of 33rd and South streets. They gathered at one corner of the intersection before crossing the street.

Meanwhile, the officer was standing in the middle of the intersection and directing car traffic to avoid the campus area.

This protest comes a week after the disbandment of an encampment on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Hours later that night, hundreds of people walked the streets of University City in Philadelphia carrying Palestinian flags.

Students and others have set up tent camps on campuses across the country to protest the war between Israel and Hamas, pressuring universities to cut financial ties with Israel. War-related tensions had been high on campuses since the fall, but pro-Palestinian demonstrations quickly spread after police cracked down on an encampment at Columbia University on April 18.

Demonstrations reached all corners of the United States, becoming the largest campus protest movement in decades, and spread to other countries, including many in Europe.

Nearly 3,000 people have been arrested on U.S. campuses over the past month. As the holidays approached, there were fewer new arrests and campuses remained quiet. Still, colleges remained vigilant against disruptions to commencement ceremonies.