Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office has dropped charges against two individuals arrested for antagonizing pro-Palestinian protesters at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment in April.
One individual — who was arrested on April 28 for entering a “Seder in the Streets” event on College Green with a knife and holster — had his charges dismissed in August after several hearings over the summer. The other was detained by Penn's Division of Public Safety on May 1 for spraying an unknown odorous substance on signs, food, and tents in the encampment and had their charges dismissed shortly afterward.
Requests for comment were left with Krasner’s office and with Penn.
The former individual was identified as Yosef Cohen, a 70-year-old man, by his wife, Maddie Cohen, in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer. Maddie Cohen said that her husband “meant no harm.”
“He was just trying to show the other side by walking around,” Maddie Cohen said at the time. “It wasn’t his intention to hurt anyone.”
Yosef Cohen, a pro-Israeli protester, was arrested with a knife holster after entering the seder event and making his way through the crowd towards the speakers leading the event. At the time, police said that Yosef Cohen “violated civil code” and would be receiving a citation. He was escorted away from the event in handcuffs after being stopped by police.
Encampment organizers published a statement following the incident alleging that “the administration’s concern [was] one-sided” and accused Penn of being “ambivalent when violence is directed towards [them].”
According to a publicly available court document, Yosef Cohen was charged with the possession of “Cutting Weapons” and had multiple summary trials over the summer. The charges were dropped and the case was dismissed on Aug. 9.
A second pro-Israeli individual entered the encampment on May 1 and sprayed an unknown substance on signs and belongings on College Green before being handcuffed and detained for investigation by DPS officers.
At the time, a University spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian that the individual “had allegedly sprayed a sulfur-based ‘stink’ spray” around the encampment and would be charged with “disorderly conduct and harassment.”
Krasner’s office dropped charges against the individual, and there are no court records currently on file for the incident.
Penn Police, with assistance from the Philadelphia Police Department, swept the Gaza Solidarity Encampment and dismantled it on May 10, after 16 days. The University relocated several end-of-year celebrations originally set to take place on College Green and implemented heightened security measures throughout the summer after its disbandment.
Some participants in the encampment and related demonstrations — including an attempted occupation of Fisher-Bennett Hall on May 17 — were also arrested and charged by Krasner’s office, though many only received code violation notices or have since had their charges dropped. 33 individuals were arrested during Penn’s May 10 sweep of the encampment, including at least nine students, and 19 individuals — seven of whom were Penn students — were arrested during the attempted occupation.
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