Swarthmore 9 Go On Trial June 29
By Bob Small
Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators have been doing encampments at Swarthmore College. Specifically, they are targeting the Swarthmore Board of Managers and asking them to divest from Cisco which works with the Israeli military. The demonstrators, of course, have the right to“peacefully” protest. Only two of the Swarthmore nine are actually connected with the college with only one being a current student.
Their trial will be happening soon.
The matter stems from a May 3, 2025 incident which was broken up by some 30 police officers from several departments.
It would have been a great time for a bank job, one thinks.
On Aug. 19, the College Judiciary Committee suspended the Swarthmore student involved for the Fall Semester. .
There were almost 40 comments when I looked at the linked article, with alumnae coming down on both sides.
This case has been covered by MSN, among other national news sources.
There has begun the start of a nascent academic boycott with the looming trial.
Delco District Attorney Tanner Rouse has stated that all of the nine have been offered the opportunity to have the charge lowered to a summary offense, which would not require jail time.
As of this writing, all have refused.
The College cites increasing concern by members of the College community, which led them to feel “compelled to seek assistance from the Swarthmore Borough Police Department to end the encampment.”
The college denies that they can reduce the pending charges.
Cisco, by the way, is the world’s largest networking company and provides Swarthmore’s campus-wide VPN and cybersecurity infrastructure. This means it is installed on every single student, faculty, and staff member’s personal device.
Meanwhile, Swarthmore College President Val Smith praised Trump’s HB 1 Bill ”because it included $20 million for Swarthmore. “
As someone with a previous history of civil disobedience, for various causes and under various administrations, and who may yet return to this mode of protest, I always wanted to go to trial, to plead my cause, but never had the choice.
Full confession, the most is spent in jail was but a half a day. Hopefully, the “Swarthmore 9” will come to their senses and avoid taking up the jail cells needed for “real criminals”.
See also
Netanyahu is the “real criminal.” Jail him.