Charlotte Stuart

Date: May 5, 2024

Organizers: Philly Palestine Coalition (PPC)

Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Event Flyer: Instagram

May 5 2024 was Day 11 of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) pro-Hamas encampment launched by the Philadelphia Palestine Coalition (PCC). The encampment was set up by students from Penn as well as students from Temple and Drexel University.

The Penn encampment was in support of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by pro-terror activist Omar Barghouti in 2005 to turn “Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.” Barghouti has also called for Israel's destruction and the BDS movement demands would result in that same goal.

BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.

The movement’s most notable achievement has been infiltrating university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments propose resolutions to boycott or divestment from Israel or Israeli-affiliated entities. BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents and pro-terror activism on campus.