This story is developing and will continue to be updated.
Pro-Palestinian activists attempted to occupy Fisher-Bennett Hall at 34th and Walnut streets on Friday evening, one week after the University cleared the Gaza Solidarity Encampment from College Green and just as Commencement began.
At least three protesters were arrested around 9 p.m. and appear to have been unsuccessful in fully taking over the building — though barricades, zip ties, and water bottles were visible across three entrances of Fisher-Bennett. Afterward, protesters spilled out in to the streets, prompting the evacuation of an alumni event at the Penn Museum as individuals marched down South Street before dispersing.
The occupation was announced in an Instagram post around 8 p.m. by Penn Students Against the Occupation of Palestine, calling for members of the Penn and Philadelphia communities to bring “flags, pots, pans, noise makers,” and megaphones. The building was renamed Refaat Alareer Hall after a Palestinian poet who was killed in Gaza in December.
A statement on PAO’s Instagram said the occupation was the result of a “series of escalations by the Penn administration,” including a refusal to negotiate in “good faith,” citing arrests by Penn Police and disciplinary action taken by the University.
In a video posted to the Instagram page for Penn Up Against the Occupation, several Philadelphia police officers forcefully remove five protestors from Fisher-Bennet Hall, with one protester falling to the ground after being forced out.
The protesters resisted removal and yelled expletives at officers. After the protesters were removed, eight officers started to exit the building before the video cut.
The caption of the post reads “WE NEED YOU NOW.”
