Several arrests were made as authorities' attempts to disperse the crowd were met with resistance, escalating the tension.
The demonstrations, which were anti-Israel in nature, commenced around midday. By 2 pm, students had established a Gaza solidarity encampment on the grass in front of the UT Tower. This encampment mirrored those that have sprung up at other US institutions this week.
As reported by the Houston Chronicle, approximately 200 students congregated outside the Gregory Gymnasium to initiate the protests. They proceeded to march through the campus, chanting slogans such as "Free Palestine" and "Palestine will be free."
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The student-led Palestine Solidarity Committee, which had promoted the event on Instagram the previous day, organized the protests. However, unlike other institutions that have been marred by similar antisemitic protests, university officials issued a warning to the organizers about potential disciplinary action. They stated that the organizers seemed to intend to "violate our policies and rules and disrupt our campus operations," which would not be tolerated.
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The Chronicle reported that the university threatened to suspend anyone participating in the protests and warned individuals not affiliated with the university to leave or face arrest. On Wednesday afternoon, university officials advised students to steer clear of the South Mall area of the campus.
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As the situation escalated, hundreds of Texas State troopers arrived on campus and issued dispersal orders, as seen in video footage. The crowd resisted these orders, leading to arrests. CBS Austin reporter Michael Adkison noted that police appeared to be making targeted arrests in the crowd. Each arrest was met with chants of "Let them go" from the protesters, a scene Adkison reported witnessing around a dozen times.
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The protest quickly gained traction on social media, eliciting a strong response from Texas Governor Greg Abbott. "Arrests being made right now & will continue until the crowd disperses. These protesters belong in jail. Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period," Abbott wrote. He further stated, "Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled."
However, Abbott's statement was met with criticism, with many suggesting that he implied antisemitism itself was an arrestable offense.
In a joint statement, Dr. Aaron Voyles, executive director of student involvement, and Melissa Jones-Wommack, acting executive director of student conduct and academic integrity, said, "Simply put, The University of Texas at Austin will not allow this campus to be 'taken' and protesters to derail our mission in ways that groups affiliated with your national organization have accomplished elsewhere."
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