Pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested Friday evening after jumping the fence of the president’s home of the University of Pennsylvania.
Hundreds of people could be seen walking through the streets of University City carrying Palestinian flags before reaching the home of interim President Larry Jameson.
As the crowd gathered, images of NBC10 showed at least three jumping the fence.
One person could be seen lighting a flare, while another continued to hold up a Palestinian flag before banging on the door of the house.
It remains unclear whether Jameson was at the property, located on the 3800 block of Walnut Street.
The arrests came as an encampment set up on campus was finally dismantled.
Three protesters jumped the fence to the UPenn president’s home
One person could be seen lighting a flare, while another continued to hold up a Palestinian flag before banging on the door of the house
Protesters could be seen lurking in the doorway and on the stairs to the house
Hundreds of students could be seen marching through the streets on Friday evening
There was a standoff between students and police before the encampment was cleared
Police attempt to clear protesters on the University of Pennsylvania campus
Protesters lock arms at the Ben Franklin statue on the Penn campus as police clear the site
Philadelphia and Penn campus police took action around dawn to clear protesters from an encampment that had been there for more than two weeks.
School officials said protesters were given warnings and given the opportunity to leave without being detained.
“Our community is under threat and our campus has been disrupted for too long. Passion for a good cause cannot outweigh the safety and operation of our university. Early this morning we took action, with the support of local police, to remove the encampment,” the school said in a statement.
Initially, officials said 33 people, including teachers and seven students, were among those arrested and charged with trespassing, the school said.
Later, school officials said those arrested included nine students and the rest were people with no ties to Penn.
While searching the camp, Penn police found several long lengths of heavy chains, as well as smaller chains with nuts and bolts attached to them that police said could be used as weapons, officials said.
Police carried out pre-dawn attacks on students protesting the war in Gaza at the University of Pennsylvania on Friday
Police arrive at a pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania on Friday
A police officer looks at the site of a pro-Palestinian protest camp after police cleared the area in the early hours of Friday morning
Maintenance workers and waste disposal crews clean up after police clear a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia
Police arrested a protester on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on Friday
Initially, officials said 33 people, including teachers and seven students, were among those arrested and charged with trespassing, the school said.
Police gather to clear demonstrators on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia
Police confront protesters on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia
The camp was completely evacuated and the contents were thrown into a dump truck
Protest camps have sprung up in the United States in recent weeks as students demand their universities stop doing business with Israel or companies that support its war efforts.
The organizers are seeking to strengthen calls for an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which they describe as a genocide against the Palestinians.
The protest movement began nearly three weeks ago at Columbia University in New York City.
Some colleges across the country took immediate action, while others tolerated the demonstrations.
Some have recently begun turning to police out of concern about disruptions to campus life and safety.
