Pro-Palestinian protesters at Drexel ignore call to disband as arrests nationwide surpass 3,500
The pro-Palestinian protests at Drexel University have sparked significant controversy and led to a campus lockdown. Despite Drexel President John Fry's request for the protesters to disband, the encampment remained, and classes were shifted online with many employees working from home. Fry criticized the encampment for being "intolerably disruptive" and reported antisemitic behavior, which the Drexel Palestine Coalition denied.
The protesters' demands included a ceasefire in Gaza, divestment from companies doing business with Israel, abolition of the Drexel police department, and termination of the school's chapter of Hillel. No arrests were reported at Drexel, but there have been over 3,000 arrests nationwide related to similar campus protests.
The situation has parallels at other universities, such as the University of California, Santa Cruz, where graduate students went on strike in response to the administration's handling of pro-Palestinian encampments. Nearby, at the University of Pennsylvania, 19 demonstrators were arrested, with some charges later dropped due to insufficient evidence. The protests reflect ongoing tensions and calls for institutional change related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
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