Several protesters were arrested on UT Austin campus Wednesday during a walkout to support Palestinians and protest the Israel-Hamas war. The protest, organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee in Austin, is the latest in a wave of demonstrations sweeping college campuses across the U.S.
PSC called on students to walk out of class starting midday, march through campus and occupy the South Lawn for the rest of the day. The student group planned a series of workshops and teach-ins as part of the occupation.
"Our universities have chosen profit and reputation over the lives of the people of Palestine and our will as students," PSC said in an Instagram post. "[W]e will take back our university and demand our administration to divest, for the people of Gaza!"
Crowds began to gather on campus shortly before noon Wednesday. Protesters, many wearing masks and Palestinian scarves, chanted, "Free, free Palestine. Killing children is a crime."
UT Austin student Ammer Qaddumi said the demonstration was a "continuation of our call against our institution's complicity in the ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza."
Qaddumi said UT Austin has also remained largely silent on the harassment and violence that Muslim, Palestinian and other Arab students have faced around campus.
"The university has not had adequate responses to really address our concerns and has sort of fostered this environment where racist individuals feel actually empowered to continue conducting these harassments against us," he said.
Earlier this month, a Muslim student was allegedly attacked by three men who yelled Islamophobic statements before punching him. UT said in an emailed statement that the Austin Police Department was investigating, and that the university "has no tolerance for violence or other hateful actions against any of our community members, including those in our Muslim, Palestinian, and Arab communities."
The day before the protest, UT Austin administration sent a letter to PSC warning organizers not to hold the event.
PSC "has declared intent to violate our policies and rules, and disrupt our campus operations," the letter said. "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."
The letter also said students and PSC may face discipline for protesting.
Large police presence heightens tensions
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies, including state troopers, ordered students to disperse at the start of the protest. As the crowd began to disband, police largely funneled them onto one of the campus' main roads, and protesters regathered close to their original starting point.
Throughout the demonstration, Qaddumi repeatedly reminded students to remain peaceful and follow police orders to disperse. Police then arrested him. It is unclear why.
At around 2:30 p.m., officers again ordered protesters to leave and said they were trespassing. State police shouted "move" as they used horses to push protesters away. Protesters responded with chants of, "Off our campus."
Shortly after, officers went into the crowd and arrested more people. At least a half-dozen protesters were detained.
David DeMatthews, an associate professor of education at UT Austin, said it was concerning to see such a large and "militarized" police presence on campus in response to a peaceful protest.
"I was really surprised at the number of officers on motorcycles, bikes, horses, and in what looked to me to be riot gear, so it was pretty shocking for me," he said.
He said in his 11 years as a faculty member at two different UT institutions, he has never seen this many police respond to a demonstration.
"We should care about free speech and students should be able to protest, regardless of the topic that they're concerned about," he said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations chapter in Austin condemned the arrests, saying they raised serious questions about the protection of free speech and assembly.
"In a democratic society, the right to peacefully protest and express dissenting opinions is fundamental. The recent arrests of student activists advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza represent a troubling suppression of these rights," Fayyaz Shah, Board Chair of CAIR Austin, said in a statement. "Law enforcement must exercise restraint and respect the rights of protesters."
Devon, a sophomore at UT Austin who declined to share his last name, said he thinks the police presence unnecessarily escalated the demonstration.
"It made me feel nervous that we were on a powder keg about to explode," he said.
He said he thinks if the protestors were allowed to proceed to their route as planned, arrests could have been avoided.
"I hate to see students arrested," he said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Audrey McGlinchy contributed to this report.
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