Protesters gathered on College Green and 34th Street, blocking traffic while reciting names and calling for action in Gaza.
Protestors gathered outside of Fisher Bennett Hall, which had been occupied by protestors in the spring, holding signs saying “Right of Return” and “Revolution.” / Photo credit: Lexi Boccuzzi
By: Jennifer Mesa and Sarah Mester
On the afternoon of October 14, 2024, a pre-planned pro-Palestine protest advertised with the title “Indigenous Peoples Day: Palestine Solidarity Vigil” by the Penn’s Faculty for Justice in Palestine chapter in conjunction with Up Against the Occupation (formerly Penn Against the Occupation) and Jewish Voices for Peace took place on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus. The demonstration, which drew attention from students, faculty, and police, began around 3:30 PM and started off campus before spilling into the intersection of 34th St. and Walnut St., temporarily blocking the flow of moving traffic.
At 3:40pm, the protest briefly moved partly off the intersection and onto the sidewalk in front of Fisher Bennett Hall, at which point a couple of police officers lined up in front of the Fisher Bennet entrance. Protestors were seen flying Palestinian flags as well as holding large cardboard keys with words like “Freedom,” “Justice,” “Intifada,” and “Liberation” on them.
Approximately 50 to 75 demonstrators participated—composed of a wide variety of people including students from both Penn and Drexel, local activists, faculty, and a few families with young children. Although a large banner was present that read “Penn Faculty for Justice in Palestine”, the presence of Penn faculty at the demonstration has not been confirmed. Chants of “Free, Free, Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” were heard throughout the duration of the protest. On one occasion, “Resistance is not terrorism” was chanted. There was a heavy police presence, with eight police cars parked nearby for a portion of the protest and over a dozen officers closely monitoring the event—including a car and an officer from the Philadelphia Police Counter Terrorism unit.
By 4:23 PM, the group moved down 34th St. toward Weitzman Hall, where various speakers addressed the crowd. Some recited poetry, including lines such as, “You say you love me, and I say I love you and I want genocide to stop.” Several people gave short speeches that were met with cries of “shame!” from the crowd, which remained at around 75 in number. At one point, “shut down ghost robotics” was chanted—ghost robotics is a Penn affiliated group that allegedly made technology that has been used by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF).
At 4:45 PM, the demonstrators began moving from near Weitzman Hall to an open area off 34th St and Spruce St. near the Penn Museum. At that point, different speakers took turns reading names of Palestinians who had been killed, focusing mainly on children thirteen and younger. A large white banner, believed to display the names of the deceased, was unfurled.
The demonstration concluded around 5:40 PM with chants such as “Palestine will live forever,” and the singing of the song “Leve Palestina,” a Swedish anthem of support. The protest concluded with the singing of a version of the song “we shall not be moved” that was tailored specifically to the ongoing 2023 Israel-Hamas War. By this time, some people had begun to leave and with the end of the song, the protest officially ended and the crowd rapidly dispersed.
Police presence remained steady throughout the event, though no confrontations or arrests were reported. The programming presented during the protest demonstrated forethought and planning despite the attendance of a diverse coalition of people and groups.
Jennifer Mesa is a junior in the College studying Political Science and American History from Miami, FL. Jennifer is also the Editor in Chief for The Pennsylvania Post. Her email is jenmesa@sas.upenn.edu.
Sarah Mester is a senior in the College studying Political Science and Classics from San Francisco, CA. She’s the Assistant News Editor for The Pennsylvania Post. Her email is smester@sas.upenn.edu.
