Police officers descended on the University of Pennsylvania campus to clear out an encampment set up for the sake of Palestinians in Gaza.

Police arrested 33 protesters who refused to clear the area even after their belongings and tents had been thrown away early Friday. This came two weeks after the encampment was set up, and school officials claimed to have been in contact with protesters since April 26 to notify everyone involved that they were in violation of campus policies.

“Our community has been under threat and our campus disrupted for too long,” school officials wrote in a statement. “Passion for a cause cannot supersede the safety and operations of our University. … We could not allow further disruption of our academic mission. We could not allow students to be prevented from accessing study spaces and resources, attending final exams, or participating in Commencement ceremonies, which for many did not happen during the pandemic.”

UPenn’s commencement is slated for May 20. The university already issued mandatory but temporary leaves of absence for six of its students.

All the protesters were released later Friday with misdemeanor charges of defiant trespassing. The University of Pennsylvania’s Faculty for Justice in Palestine said the encampment was “beautiful” and threatened further action.

“And if Penn thinks this is the end, they need to think some more,” the group wrote on Instagram. “We will not stop. We will not rest. Until liberation.”

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Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) called for the disbandment of the demonstration Thursday. The Washington Examiner reached out to Shapiro’s office for comment.

Police similarly arrested 33 protesters at George Washington University on Wednesday. While all were charged with trespassing, an additional four were charged with assaulting a police officer during the incident.