AUSTIN, TX — Texas state troopers and Austin police ended an anti-Israel protest at the University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday, leading to over a dozen arrests.
A large group of students and faculty left their classes at 11:40 a.m., marched to the South Lawn, and were met by campus police, the Austin Police Department, and state troopers. They chanted “f**k Greg Abbott” and “free Palestine.”
Protesters chanting on UT Austin campus | Video by Sydney Asher/The Dallas Express
The UT Palestine Solidarity Committee organized the protest and urged students to leave class and join the street demonstration. The Office of the Dean of Students sent a letter to the committee the day before the demonstration, stating that the event would not be allowed to proceed as planned, according to KVUE.
A letter from The University of Texas at Austin warned the committee that the event would not be permitted on the campus, and any attempt to hold it there would result in disciplinary action, including possible suspension.
The letter also stated that non-UT affiliates would be required to leave and could face arrest.
UT’s Division of Student Affairs issued a statement, condemning disruptions of campus activities and operations, referring to the numerous anti-Israel protests occurring at over 200 U.S. college campuses this week, as reported by The Dallas Express .
The protest ended with a large gathering on the South Lawn, where law enforcement surrounded the students and faculty.
“Our goal is to prevent injuries, not make arrests,” said Austin Police Officer McMorrow.
State troopers, directed by Gov. Abbott, arrived in riot gear throughout the afternoon, with some arriving on horseback.
Texas DPS told KVUE reported that the university and Abbott had requested the state troopers’ presence to prevent unlawful assembly and to assist UT Police in maintaining peace by arresting individuals engaged in criminal activity, including trespassing.
Law enforcement called for the demonstrators to leave the area, but the crowd only slightly dispersed. APD issued a mass evacuation order, instructing the agitators to leave the South Mall area or face arrest.
Gov. Abbott, in response to a video posted on X of law enforcement handling agitators, wrote, “Arrests are being made now and will continue until the crowd disperses. These protesters deserve to be in jail. Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period. Students participating in hateful, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled.”
Arrests being made right now & will continue until the crowd disperses.
These protesters belong in jail.
Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period.
Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled. https://t.co/XhLlQdvUl0
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 24, 2024
Some instructors at UT Austin released a statement following the incident, canceling classes and assignments to protest again on Thursday. The statement said, “Instead of allowing our students to go ahead with their peaceful planned action, our leaders turned our campus into a militarized zone.”
“There can be no business as usual when our campus is occupied by city police and state troopers who are preventing our students from engaging in a peaceful demonstration of their First Amendment rights,” it argued.
The letter accused the police of “abuse” and using unnecessary force.
Anti-Israel protests are still happening around the country, as DX has reported. A protest at New York University on Monday resulted in more than 130 arrests.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick expressed concern about the trend, declaring, “Protesters who intended to takeover [sic] the UT campus posted on Instagram: ‘In the footsteps of our comrades at Columbia SJP, Rutgers-New Brunswick, Yale, and countless others across the nation, we will be establishing THE POPULAR UNIVERSITY FOR GAZA.’ This is delusional. We have big problems on our college campuses.”
