Police arrest 9, break up pro-Palestinian encampment at Swarthmore — as college president cites FBI scrutiny
Police arrested nine protestors, including seven agitators, while breaking up a pro-Palestinian encampment on Swarthmore College's campus in an ugly scene Saturday — a 'terribly difficult' decision the school's president says was prompted by FBI scrutiny.
One current and one former student of the private liberal arts school in the suburbs of Philadelphia were arrested, while the seven others were activists who were not affiliated with the college.
'The promotion of the protest on social media drew the attention of law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, who urged us to bring the encampment to an end as quickly as possible,' Swarthmore President Valerie Smith said in a statement.
6 Police gave protestors a 10-minute warning Saturday morning to vacate or be arrested.
@swarthmoresjp / Instagram
'Many, if not all, of the protestors — both students and non-students — were fully masked and tried to remain unidentifiable,' Smith added.
In an Instagram video posted by Swarthmore Students for Justice in Palestine, Vice President of Student Affairs Stephanie Ives is seen arriving at the encampment just before 8 a.m. Saturday, accompanied by two police officers.
6 Protestors are asking the school to divest from Israel.
@swarthmoresjp / Instagram
'This encampment and the actions you've been involved in put this community at risk,' Ives tells protestors.
'Because we cannot even identify you, we do not know whom amongst you is a student and who's not.'
Police then tell students they have 10 minutes to pack up and go.
'Leave Swarthmore College property — or you will be arrested,' said Swarthmore Borough Police Chief Raymond Stufflet.
6 Around 30 police officers lined up Saturday to arrest protestors.
@swarthmoresjp / Instagram
When students refuse to leave, about 30 police officers begin breaking up the encampment — throwing lawn chairs, tearing signs and pulling down tents, as students chant 'free Palestine.'
Dozens of cops are seen lining up to handcuff students — at one point four officers pulling and pinning a protestor to the ground.
6 Some protestors were pinned to the ground as others yelled at police to let them go.
@swarthmoresjp / Instagram
6 Police arrested nine people Saturday, most of them unaffiliated with the school.
@swarthmoresjp / Instagram
'Let them f—ing go, pig!' a protestor is heard yelling. 'Get the f–k off them.'
The encampment first formed Wednesday, and the college said it suspended seven students earlier this week.
Swarthmore is one of 60 colleges at risk of having federal funding taken away over what the US Department of Education has said is antisemitic discrimination and harassment on campus.
President Trump on Friday said he was stripping Harvard University of its tax-exempt status, escalating a showdown with the Ivy League university.
6 The encampment began Wednesday, and seven students were suspended earlier in the week.
Getty Images
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kash Patel Sends Ominous Threat in Response to L.A. Protests
The FBI says it will act on its own to squash the Los Angeles anti-ICE protests. FBI Director Kash Patel issued an ominous threat to the city and its residents late Sunday night, claiming that his agency would intervene in the multiday anti-Trump display without explicit direction. 'Just so we are clear, this FBI needs no one's permission to enforce the constitution,' Patel posted on X. 'My responsibility is to the American people, not political punch lines. LA is under siege by marauding criminals, and we will restore law and order. I'm not asking you, I'm telling you.' In a move that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should agree with, California announced it would sue the federal government Monday, arguing that the Trump administration's order to send hundreds of National Guard troops toward Los Angeles, without coordination with the state's governor, was an unconstitutional breach of power. Hours earlier, FBI Public Affairs Assistant Director Ben Williamson shared that Patel had gotten off a call with 'senior leadership' addressing what they referred to as 'riots' in L.A., specifying that Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino had 'offered all necessary resources from FBI HQ' to address the situation. Williamson said the pair 'reiterated the position that any perpetrator who attacks or interferes with law enforcement will be aggressively pursued and brought to justice.' Bongino made it plain that one of the agency's primary targets would be individuals suspected of assaulting officers, writing on X that he and Patel had notified all FBI teams to pursue suspected individuals 'long after order is firmly established.' 'We will not forget. Even after you try to,' Bongino posted. But Republicans have so far not been very successful at pinpointing wrongdoing in Los Angeles. Instead, some viral videos circulating in conservative circles of protest-related violence in the city are actually not from the weekend at all, but were instead taken in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter protests.
Hamilton Spectator
20 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
University of Michigan drops private security after reports of surveillance
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The University of Michigan said it's cutting ties with a private security company that was accused of following pro-Palestinian activists on and off campus. The university said it found the actions of one security company employee 'disturbing, unacceptable and unethical.' It did not elaborate. 'Going forward, we are terminating all contracts with external vendors to provide plainclothes security on campus,' President Domenico Grasso said in a statement Sunday. In a Guardian story last week, students said they were surveilled around Ann Arbor. The news outlet posted video from a member of a Muslim group who decided to confront a man who was watching him from a car last summer. That man in turn yelled and accused him of trying to steal his wallet. Tensions have been high between the university and pro-Palestinian student groups . A student encampment stood for a month on campus last year before authorities shut it down citing safety issues. Seven people were charged with felonies related to the encampment's removal, though charges were dropped in May. The university, which has campus police, said it hired private security about a year ago to report suspicious activity in high-traffic areas, not to perform surveillance. 'No individual or group should ever be targeted for their beliefs or affiliations,' Grasso said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
33 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
A convoy sets off for Gaza from North Africa to protest Israel's blockade
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A convoy of buses and private cars departed for Gaza from Tunisia's capital Monday as part of efforts to spotlight Israel's blockade on humanitarian aid to the territory, even as Israeli authorities stopped a high-profile flotilla from landing there. The overland effort — organized independently but moved up to coincide with the flotilla — is made up of activists, lawyers and medical professionals from North Africa. It plans to traverse Tunisia, Libya and Egypt before reaching Rafah, the border crossing with Egypt that has remained largely closed since Israel's military took control of the Gaza side in May 2024. The Tunisian civil society groups behind the convoy said their aim is to demand 'the immediate lifting of the unjust siege on the strip.' They asserted that Arab governments haven't pushed enough to end the 20-month war between Israel and Hamas. After a 2½-month blockade of Gaza aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing in some basic aid last month. Experts, however, have warned of famine in the territory of over 2 million people unless the blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive. The convoy set off as the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an aid ship that set sail from Sicily earlier this month, was seized by Israeli forces in what activists said were international waters. Those aboard, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, were detained. The overland convoy drew widespread attention in Tunisia and Algeria, where it began Sunday, with some people waving Palestinian flags and chanting in support of the people of Gaza. "This convoy speaks directly to our people in Gaza and says, 'You are not alone. We share your pain and suffering,'" Yahia Sarri, one of the convoy's Algerian organizers, wrote on social media. The North African activists do not expect their convoy to be allowed into Gaza. Regardless, it provides 'a message of challenge and will,' said Saher al-Masri, a Tunis-based Palestinian activist. Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's population. The convoy plans to gather supporters in towns south of Tunis before crossing into Libya, where clashes between rival militias have turned deadlier in recent months. Organizers said they planned the land crossings with relevant authorities leading up to the convoy's departure.
