Gov. Josh Shapiro urges University of Pennsylvania to disband pro-Palestinian protest encampment
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called on the University of Pennsylvania to disband the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on campus Thursday "to restore order and safety on campus."
"Over the last 24 hours at the University of Pennsylvania, the situation has gotten even more unstable and out of control," Shapiro said during an event in Westmoreland County near Pittsburgh. "More rules have been violated, more laws have been broken. That is absolutely unacceptable. All students should feel safe when they're on campus. All students have a legal right to feel safe on campus. And the University of Pennsylvania has an obligation to their safety. It is past time for the university to act to address this, to disband the encampment and to restore order and safety on campus."
The comments from Shapiro come on the same day Penn disciplined 12 student protestors, including six who were placed on mandatory/temporary leave. Many of the students are seniors and it's unknown if the disciplinary action will affect their graduation, which is set for Monday, May 20.
Shapiro said he's reminded university presidents across Pennsylvania that they have a "moral responsibility and a legal responsibility" to keep students safe from discrimination amid pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the United States.
Shapiro highlighted how the University of Pittsburgh "effectively" handled the encampment near its campus. The encampment at Schenley Plaza near Pitt ended at the end of April after protesters and police came to a mutual agreement.
The encampment at Penn hit Day 15 on Thursday and expanded, and Shapiro said the "situation is getting out of control."
"By their own admission, the leaders of the University of Pennsylvania have made clear that those protesters, those who are living in those so-called encampments, are violating the rules of the university and in some cases the laws of the city of Philadelphia," Shapiro said. "The university has tried to negotiate and discussed the matter with those protesters. That has proven not be effective."
Last week, Shapiro had similar comments about the protests but didn't call for the encampment on Penn's College Green to be disbanded.
A student representing the encampment who declined to be identified on Thursday said they didn't think the university would "stoop so low" to discipline students.
Three of the six students placed on mandatory/temporary leave, including Sonya Stacia, spoke out against the university's actions and Shapiro on Thursday night.
"It is completely arbitrary that these sanctions have been enforced on these six students because as we've said, there are many more Penn students here, there are many more community members here," Stacia said.
"We are disappointed that he would rather stand by on the side of injustice, on the side of silence against genocide, rather than supporting citizens of Pennsylvania and concerned community members," she added.
After protesters said negotiations broke down with the university and the disciplinary actions, protesters moved more than a half dozen tents to an additional section of Penn's College Green.
A Penn spokesperson sent CBS News Philadelphia a statement in response to the encampment expansion:"Penn continues to focus on the safety of our campus, including expanding security presence in response to the expansion of the encampment despite our efforts to resolve the situation."
Earlier this week, Penn interim president J. Larry Jameson said in a statement the "encampment should end" and called for de-escalation.
A petition signed by Penn students, faculty and alumni with more than 3,000 signatures was delivered to Jameson's office last week. Sources said another petition with nearly 2,000 signatures will be delivered to the Penn administration within the next 24 hours.
On some college campuses in the U.S., universities have called in police to disband encampments, but it's unclear if that will happen at Penn.
Protestors at Penn have repeatedly said they won't walk away from the encampment until their demands are met, which are that they university cut ties with businesses that support Israel and disclose it's investments. Stacia echoed that sentiment again on Thursday.
"We will stay here until they decide to divest," Stacia said.
Meanwhile, some said the encampments on college campuses across the country, including at Penn, have fueled antisemitism.
"My daughter is a Penn student, she's been harassed," Dr. Ben Abella, who works at Penn Medicine, said last week. "It's included hate speech, it's included calls for intifada, which is a violent action. People have been flying flags of known documented terrorist groups and we don't believe this is what Penn stands for."
Penn is also making security changes for its commencement on May 20. All graduates and guests will have to go through airport-style security screening. Attendees won't be allowed to bring any bags, signs or noisemakers into Franklin Field for graduation, and all graduates must show their Penn ID to enter the field.