UPenn faculty block building during 'die-in' to honor 'Gazans murdered by Israel'

On Jan. 29, a faculty group at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia held a protest against Israel, chanting anti-Israeli slogans and blocking access to a main building on campus.

The “die-in” was reportedly led by the newly formed Penn Faculty for Justice in Palestine (PFJP). For about one hour, participants were said to have laid down on the steps of College Hall, which contains the Office of the President, the admissions department, and classrooms.

Remembering those murdered in Gaza by Israel at UPenn pic.twitter.com/b3tNA9mvgd

— W.E.B. Du Bois Movement School (@AbolitionSchool) January 29, 2024

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According to The Washington Free Beacon, protesters crafted signs stating that Israel was guilty of “genocide.” One extensive banner listed names of “Gazans murdered by Israel” since Oct. 7, the day Hamas launched its attacks against Israel.

Pretending to be deceased, the protesters remained on the ground to symbolize the individuals who lost their lives in the Israel-Hamas conflict over the past few months.

Many of the participants wore hats or masks that blocked their faces, with the identities of the protesters remaining largely unknown. However, The Washington Free Beacon reported that a Penn English professor, Margo Natalie Crawford, and research fellow, Christopher Rogers, both promoted the protest on social media.

According to The Daily Pennsylvanian, around 86 Penn affiliates participated in or watched the die-in. 

Bassil Kublaoui, a professor at Penn Medicine and PFJP spokesman, told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the motivation for the protest was to highlight “the inaction of the university towards the Palestinian community and the racist, hate speech directed towards faculty, staff, and students calling for Palestinian justice.”

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PFJP describes itself as “a collective of faculty and teaching staff that has formed as part of a growing campus movement of over 80 Palestinian solidarity chapters nationally.”

PFJP has also pledged to “join and support the work of Palestinian solidarity groups at Penn” and to “demand broader, more informed, and equitable perspectives on Palestine.”

Campus Reform has contacted the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Faculty for Justice in Palestine, Margo Natalie Crawford, and Christopher Rogers, and Bassil Kablaoui for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.