Anti-Israel student activists recently took to Swarthmore College’s Parrish Hall for a sit-in protest that ultimately lasted 11 hours.
The school’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter held the demonstration to demand that the college reverse punishments for anti-Israel activists and divest from companies that have financial ties to the Jewish state, as first reported by The Phoenix.
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The outlet notes that public safety officers barricaded the building as protesters sat outside of the office of Senior Associate Dean Nathan Miller.
Vice President for Student Affairs Stephanie Ives reportedly emailed students to warn that those who were still protesting inside the building past 11 p.m. would receive interim suspensions. The remaining activists ultimately departed the scene just prior to that time, according to The Phoenix.
“The College decided to restrict access to Parrish based on some of the protestors’ actions, which included banging on office doors, allegedly attempting to forcibly enter staff offices, using a bullhorn indoors, and other activities that are clear violations of the student code of conduct,” Vice President for Communications and Marketing Andy Hirsch told the student newspaper. “Given the level of disruption and harassment and the fact that a number of community members were visibly upset, we decided to restrict access to Parrish for the time being.”
The Phoenix also reports that the FBI did reach out to the college about the protest that day.
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“The FBI contacted us based on the nature and volume of social media posts by Swarthmore SJP, along with other regional and national SJP and other accounts, calling for people from outside the campus community to come to Swarthmore and participate in the occupation,” Vice President for Communications and Marketing Andy Hirsch informed the outlet.
According to its website, the Swarthmore SJP chapter aims “to end our college’s financial complicity in the Israeli occupation and to spread awareness of the Israeli government’s human rights violations with the hope of bringing justice to the Palestinian people.” The group also supports the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement against Israel.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
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