Unicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
NEW: Drexel Students Set Up Palestine Encampment, Call for Divestment From Israel
https://unicornriot.ninja/2024/drexel-students-set-up-palestine-encampment-call-for-divestment-from-israel/
Following a rainy Nakba Day commemoration march from Center City that started around 4 p.m.
Philadelphia and Drexel police officers quickly surrounded the encampment.
Drexel Students Set Up Palestine Encampment, Call for Divestment From Israel - UNICORN RIOT

Students at Drexel University established an encampment in support of divesting from Israel following a rainy Nakba Day commemoration march.

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Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024

On Saturday police largely barred people from entering; apparently on orders from Drexel’s campus police chief. There was a brief struggle over the metal barricade components; an officer brandished a Taser at the crowd but was pulled back by another. Video:

https://x.com/UR_Ninja/status/1792004001979859038

UNICORN RIOT (@UR_Ninja) on X

@SamidounPP A Philly PD officer drew a taser on Drexel students and had to be stopped/held back by other cops during the earlier initial police push before they withdrew back to the barricades - before this clip taken earlier a PPD white shirt was heard yelling in frustration at underlings

X (formerly Twitter)
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
Our livestream from inside the barricade ring ran for almost 3 1/2 hours until shortly before midnight Saturday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtZ2dIJT0Lo
Students Start Palestine Encampment at Drexel, Heavy Police Presence

YouTube
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
The night before, nearly 20 demonstrators were arrested just blocks away at the UPenn campus which we also streamed live. https://unicornriot.ninja/2024/upenn-students-arrested-at-palestine-demo-after-building-occupation-attempt/
UPenn Students Arrested at Palestine Demo After Building Occupation Attempt - UNICORN RIOT

Nearly twenty UPenn students and supporters were arrested after briefly occupying Fisher-Bennett Hall along 34th Street. Officers including UPenn's Emergency Response Teams worked to shove hundreds of pro-Palestine demonstrators away from what they renamed Refaat Alareer Hall. The action was an extension of the encampment organizing swept by police action a week earlier.

UNICORN RIOT
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
At Drexel on Saturday night, students and other observers we interviewed discussed everything from Philly’s protest culture and law enforcement practices to the Samidoun Prisoner’s Solidarity Network. Full livestream:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtZ2dIJT0Lo
Students Start Palestine Encampment at Drexel, Heavy Police Presence

YouTube
Show threadUnicorn Riot
In a tense confrontation at the beginning of the stream, Philly officers in riot gear wearing “Counter-Terrorism Operations” badges briefly assembled inside the perimeter but withdrew.
May 21, 2024 at 7:57pmWeb
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
In interviews on-site students said that they were pushing to get #Drexel to pull its investments from BlackRock, which does business with Israel, as well as other divestments. They also said Drexel administrators have claimed it is illegal to disclose specific investments.
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
During late Saturday night, police were largely a static presence, dozens of students milled outside the perimeter discussing politics & playing music. A know-your-rights training with Up Against the Law & National Lawyers Guild members also took place w most camp participants.
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
Camp supporters regularly handed supplies including stacks of pizza, large tent structures & medic supplies over barricades w/o much interest from police. A Unicorn Riot reporter stuck around until morning as a police sweep seemed possible (UPenn’s camp was cleared this way).
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
While the encampments might seem like a typical exercise in campus politics it should be noted these activities are regarded as a strategic threat to Israel because they could shift the intellectual climate in the United States, which is Israel’s main international patron.
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
Articles by James Bamford in The Nation showed groups like the Israeli-American Council & Canary Mission are closely coordinating w. Israeli government agencies to crush student protests in the U.S. by harassing protesters.
https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/israeli-american-council/
https://www.thenation.com/article/world/canary-mission-israel-covert-operations/
The Israel-Affiliated Organization Leading the Backlash Against Student Protests

The Israeli-American Council has worked in tandem with Israeli intelligence agencies for years. Last month, its leaders vowed to shut down the encampment at UCLA.

The Nation
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
Plethora of Police Forces in West Philly since 1970s:
After the shocking events at Kent State and Jackson State, in September 1970 President Nixon’s Commission on Campus Unrest, chaired by Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton, dropped its report.
One result was the rise of campus police departments.
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
As the Penn Disorientation Guide outlines, police forces multiplied during the campus crackdowns of the 1970s, until today:
“If you walk west down Market St. from 30th St. Station, in 1.5 miles you pass through the jurisdictions of 6 police departments." https://penndisorientation.com/2023/08/28/a-brief-and-violent-history-of-campus-policing/
A Brief and Violent History of Campus Policing

Universities in the U.S., like the police, have deep historical connections with two pillars of this country’s founding, stolen African labor and stolen indigenous land. Campus policing, while a ne…

Penn Disorientation Guide
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
Campus police in this side of the city (Drexel & UPenn) have demarcated “patrol zones” which extend into the city.
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
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Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 21, 2024
Full story: Drexel Students Set Up Palestine Encampment, Call for Divestment From Israel
https://unicornriot.ninja/2024/drexel-students-set-up-palestine-encampment-call-for-divestment-from-israel/
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Drexel Students Set Up Palestine Encampment, Call for Divestment From Israel - UNICORN RIOT

Students at Drexel University established an encampment in support of divesting from Israel following a rainy Nakba Day commemoration march.

UNICORN RIOT