On Monday, police arrested protesters at a pro-Palestinian protest on the University of Texas at Austin campus, some of whom were setting up tents.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, 43 protesters had been arrested, Austin criminal defense attorney George Loeb said. He is coordinating with the Austin Bar Association to provide legal aid to those arrested during campus protests.
The university could not officially confirm the total number of arrests. Travis County officials did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the arrests.
Demonstrators started pitching tents on the school's main lawn around noon. A campus police report was dispatched about an hour later.
As the tents were set up, dozens of students and demonstrators linked arms and formed a circle around the camp.
They chanted “Free, Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Protesters set up tents and staged a protest at the University of Texas as pro-Palestinian protests continued. Officials warned of arrest if they tried to occupy the premises.
In their warning, police officials said the students' behavior was “disorderly conduct”.
“I command you in the name of the University of Texas Police Department, if you do not disperse, you will be arrested,” said Assistant Chief Shane Streepy.
Around 1:30 p.m., dozens of state troopers in riot gear arrived on the South Mall and lined up across the camp. Some wore zip ties.
A few minutes later, state troops advanced toward the camp and began surrounding it.
“The protesters physically engaged and verbally assaulted the staff of the Dean of Students who attempted to confiscate them after the protesters ignored repeated orders by both the administration and law enforcement officials to comply with company rules and remove the tents assembled on the south lawn of the university. “Enforcement agencies cleared a camp and arrested several protesters,” UT officials said in a statement on Monday afternoon.
“Baseball-sized rocks have been strategically placed inside the camp. Most of the protesters are believed to be unaffiliated with the university. On Saturday, the university received extensive online threats from the group organizing today's protest,” they added.
Gov. Greg Abbott took to social media around 3 p.m. to say, “No encampments will be allowed. Instead, arrests are being made.
Monday's arrests come days after more than 50 people were arrested for protesting the war in Gaza on the same lawn at UT. Those arrested last week faced criminal trespassing charges, but Travis County prosecutors dismissed the charges.
Olive Gonzalez, 22, a veteran promoter who didn't join the protests last week but decided to show support today, said the presence of law enforcement was overwhelming. He said it was “frustrating” to see UT's response.
“I don't think so [protesters] They have come here with the intention of wreaking havoc on the university. I think they came out for a worthy cause. she said.
“How would they feel if their children were pulled over by law enforcement and abused?” Shaun Panjwani, 20, a second-year business student said. “Are they really responding to orders or do they really believe what they're doing now? Any normal person, anyone with a moral compass, knows that's wrong.
Panjwani said many student groups protest for various reasons throughout the year, but this one was different.
“The way they respond to people protesting for this cause is completely different from the way they normally respond to protests,” he said. “You don't need to bring out guys with ARs and riot shields against kids who are unarmed, where we're sitting on campus that we've paid thousands of dollars a year to come to school.”
Austin Democratic State Senate. Sarah Eckhardt said in a phone interview that she visited UT's South Lawn to monitor the protests.
Eckhardt said he has not been in contact with UT President Jay Hartzell. He noted that the decision to remove the tents is in line with the demands made by UT last week. Officials “were very clear in communicating on the first day, Wednesday, that the tents were a form of visible obstruction that they were trying to avoid,” he said.
“The best course of action is to reach out to as many grassroots influencers as I can to narrow down the situation,” Eckhardt added.
Across the country, on college campuses, pro-Palestinian protests have recently taken place. Demonstrators want a ceasefire in Gaza and for their universities to divest from companies that make weapons used in the war.
The protests gained momentum earlier this month after more than 100 students at Columbia University in New York were arrested and charged with trespassing after many pitched tents on the campus lawn.
Student protesters have held nationwide demonstrations since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages. According to the Israeli government. Over the next few months, Israel began bombing the Gaza Strip, killing more than 34,000 people. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The Dallas Morning News could not independently verify these numbers.
On Monday, some protesters asked for doctors. The National Weather Service showed a heat index of around 90 degrees for most of the afternoon.
At around 4pm, state troopers and police moved out of the South Mall to provide security. Some protesters tried to prevent the police vehicle from leaving the compound, but officers used chemical spray on the crowd and the vehicle drove off. During the collision, there were two loud bangs, about 30 seconds apart, accompanied by white smoke.
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, was cutting through campus on her way home when she saw a crowd running toward her. UT is located in his district.
I asked, 'What's going on?' I was told they were spraying pepper spray,” he said. “But I'm starting to feel it. You can smell it too.”
Hinojosa said her eyes were irritated. Soon, she was among those giving water to those who needed to rub their eyes.
“Some people are struggling,” he said.
Hinojosa said the situation was exacerbated by the presence of DPS on campus.
“Students are still angry because after the pushback, after the public pushback, we all assumed UT would never do it again,” he said. “So I think the students and teachers in this community are very angry that it's happening again.”
The DMN Education Lab deepens coverage and conversation about pressing education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The TMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative supported by Bobby and Lottie Lyle, Community Foundation of Texas, Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Dee Dee Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, The Sorrels Foundation. Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sidney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News maintains full editorial control of the Journal of Education Lab.
