Kim and Eliana Atienza | Images: Instagram/@kuyakim_atienza, @elianahatienza
Kim Atienza’s 19-year-old daughter, Eliana Atienza, was kicked out of the University of Pennsylvania and left “homeless” after she joined an on-campus pro-Palestine encampment.
The New York Post and Daily Mail UK cited in their reports that Eliana, one of six students, was suspended from campus on May 9 for “participating in an anti-Israel encampment.” However, the Associated Press reported, citing police officials, that “a half-dozen of UPenn students were among 19 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested during an attempt to occupy a school building.”
Eliana is said to have participated in unsuccessful negotiations with university administrators over their appeal that the school remove itself from any financial ties to Israel. She also co-signed a letter in support of “Palestinians who are fighting to liberate their lands from the Israeli occupation.”
After being placed on mandatory temporary leaves with a pending investigation, Eliana spoke to NBC10 via KWY radio to share that she was ordered to “separate from the university” and has since been denied access to her dorm and been prohibited from entering any school facility.
“I don’t have any family to go back home to here,” she told NBC10.
“When the university fails to protect its Palestinian students, we create a freedom camp. When the university ignores us, disciplines protesters, and denies us a space to host teach-ins and movie screenings, we continue. The only threat here is the power of the people and the students we have standing behind us,” added Eliana.
READ: Kim Atienza breaks silence on daughter’s involvement in pro-Palestine protest
The Washington Free Beacon also quoted Eliana as saying that she is a victim of “administrative violence” via an Instagram screenshot.
“I live on campus. The university has barred me from entering. In other words, the university has made me houseless,” she wrote.
“I am also an international student. The university knows this. This is their weapon. I am so disappointed to be attending an institution that resorts to administrative violence,” continued Eliana.
Meanwhile, international outlets have been questioning Kim’s take on the matter, “calling him wealthy enough to take care of his daughter.”
“Atienza’s father is not afraid to flaunt his wealth. In a recent Instagram story, he shared photos from a lavish first-class flight, which boasted caviar service and a full shower,” wrote Free Beacon in its report.
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