Amid ongoing protests and demonstrations at colleges across the county and following days of rising tensions at Penn, a pro-Palestinian encampment began on College Green on Thursday. The encampment followed a citywide march turned rally that started at City Hall and drew hundreds, coinciding with a faculty walkout when it reached campus.

The group demands that Penn divests from Israel, corporations that benefit from the Israel-Hamas war, and Israeli institutions committing what it describes as "scholasticide.” It also demands that the University defends Palestinian students, including granting amnesty to those involved in pro-Palestinian activism and reinstating Penn Students Against the Occupation of Palestine. PAO's suspension has prompted criticism from students, faculty, and community members.

Here’s how The Daily Pennsylvanian’s photographers documented the march, rally, and first day of the encampment.

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At around 2 p.m. the rally, which was organized by the Philly Palestine Coalition, began on the south side of City Hall. Many of the demonstrators carried flags and signs and gathered for chants and speeches before the march began. 

The crowd headed towards West Philadelphia at around 3 p.m. and continued to grow as it made its way west down John F. Kennedy Blvd.

Around 3:20 p.m., the protestors entered West Philadelphia after crossing the Market Street bridge and the Schuylkill River, chanting and making several references to protests that are unfolding at college campuses across the country.

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Faculty members started walking out of their classes and gathering outside of the Split Button in front of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library at 4 p.m., just as a community listening session hosted by Interim Penn President Larry Jameson and Provost John Jackson began at Perry World House.

Minutes later, the march combined with the Penn faculty. Hundreds of protestors gathered adjacent to College Green, chanting against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. 

Several professors, students, and community organizers spoke atop the Split Button, including history professor Eve Troutt Powell, who described Israel’s attacks on Gaza as “scholasticide.”

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There was a heavy police presence at the rally, with officers from both the Philadelphia Police Department and the Division of Public Safety. Small groups of pro-Israel counterprotestors were also present, holding Israeli flags. 

At 4:30 p.m. a group of protestors rushed onto the west side of College Green to lay down tarps and set up tents. Around them, others quickly formed a barrier with their bodies to protect those who were setting up the encampment. 

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, programming continued inside the encampment. Organizers led speeches and song in front of the Benjamin Franklin statue. One speaker recited a Hebrew prayer, and another recited the names of “martyrs" killed in Gaza.

An organizer also asked the crowd to supply donations for the encampment such as food, bedding, and hand warmers. Onsite medics told the DP that medical supplies — including first aid kits and space emergency blankets — would be available at a medical tent located next to College Green. 

As night fell and temperatures dropped, organizers told those assembled that they anticipated a “low risk” night but also outlined “know your rights” protocols to prepare protestors for potential arrests.

Individuals carried supplies, including groceries from Heirloom Market and over 40 boxes of pizza.