Temple University says it is investigating a student pro-Palestinian demonstration held outside a Jewish center on campus

Temple University said it is investigating for possible disciplinary action a pro-Palestinian march by students and nonstudents who demonstrated outside a Jewish center on campus Thursday.

The protest march began at the Charles Library, said Temple University president Richard Englert in a statement, then some demonstrators went to the Rosen Center, which is the home at Temple of Hillel, an international organization for Jewish students.

“While there, the demonstrators used megaphones to chant directly at the occupants within the building,” Englert said.

“We are deeply saddened and concerned by these events,” Englert said. “Targeting a group of individuals because of their Jewish identity is not acceptable and intimidation and harassment tactics like those seen today will not be tolerated.”

Englert said the university’s Division of Student Affairs was investigating the incident, and if students or student organizations are found to be involved, they would be subject to disciplinary action under the student conduct code.

“As we have previously shared, Temple is committed to honoring the First Amendment and fostering an environment open to a diversity of thought, opinion and peaceful expression,” Englert said.

“To that end, we affirm the right of our community members to engage in peaceful and orderly demonstrations, as we saw at the start of today’s demonstration,” Englert said.

A short video recorded by someone in the Hillel building shows dozens of protesters outside and across the street chanting and holding signs and Palestinian flags. Another video recorded outside by the Temple News student newspaper shows university police officers guarding the entrance to the building.

There were no reports of physical altercations or arrests.

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The march on Thursday was organized by Temple Students for Justice in Palestine and was announced two weeks ago.

The group encouraged people on social media to join the event at 3 p.m. at the Charles Library “as we rally for justice and stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. We will fight for the students of Gaza who cannot return to school and demand accountability from Temple University.”

On Thursday night, the organization posted a response to Englert, saying that any accusation of “antisemitism, intimidation, and harassment … could NOT be farther from the truth,” and said that the university’s president had “intentionally distorted our message to serve the false narrative” that Temple Students for Justice in Palestine is a threat to Temple University.

The group added: “President Englert has more than proven our point that Temple University is an institution that prides itself on protecting its corporate position as a capitalist institution, rather than protecting its very own student[s] who solely wish for their university to stop funding the genocide of their people.”

Earlier this month, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office approved felony charges for a Temple University student and an alumna related to an attempted burglary at an off-campus Jewish fraternity.

In January, the U.S. Department of Education announced that Temple was under investigation for its handling of antisemitism complaints on campus; the move came among a spate of investigations at colleges nationally following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and subsequent unrest on campuses.

Temple said in a statement at that time that it would fully comply with the investigation and that it “unequivocally condemns hate and discrimination against any person and will always strive to ensure that all of our students, faculty, and staff feel welcomed and safe in our community and throughout our campus.”