Penn's interim president says pro-Palestinian encampment is 'causing fear for many'
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A pro-Palestinian protest on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania continued into a 12th day.
In a letter on Monday, Interim President J. Larry Jameson again called on organizers to disband the encampment.
"The encampment should end. It is in violation of our policies, it is disrupting campus operations and events, and it is causing fear for many in our large, diverse community, especially among our Jewish students," said Jameson.
A protester reacted to Jameson's letter, saying, "We want the administration to drop the disciplinary actions they've taken against students. We want police out of the encampment."
Organizers also want the Ivy League school to divest from any company with financial ties to Israel.
The group of protesters is made up of students from Penn, Drexel University, Temple University and other organizations.
READ MORE: Pro-Palestinian protest at Penn enters 8th day; petition to end encampment delivered
Members of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Israeli American Council delivered a petition last week with Jewish students who attend Penn, citing harassment and antisemitic messaging from protesters.
The university said it is focused on de-escalating and dialogue, but it fears some protesters want confrontation with authorities. Penn says police are here for the safety of the protesters too.
"We are concerned that many of the protestors occupying the encampment on College Green are seeking such a confrontation. We have heard reports of circulating documents with instructions for escalating a protest, including through building occupations and violence," said Jameson.
Jameson says he's met with protesters several times and Penn is open to more meetings.
According to Penn, protesters refuse to let police check identification -- many are not Penn students and they are violating school policies like intimidation and harassment.
The university will continue with disciplinary action that could result in students not graduating or attending any longer.
