Swarthmore Nine On Trial For Pro-Palestine Encampment
Philadelphia — Students at Swarthmore College, outside of Philadelphia, held a nonviolent, pro-Palestine encampment on campus in May 2025. They protested the college administration’s support, through a $2.7 billion endowment, of companies supporting Israeli genocide in Gaza, specifically Cisco Systems. The encampment was named after Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat, who was killed by the Israel Occupation Forces.
Despite the college’s liberal legacy of supporting peaceful protests, campus President Valerie Smith and Vice President Stephanie Ives refused to negotiate.