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On Wednesday students at the University of Texas at Austin held a protest supporting Palestine and calling for an end to the Israeli-Hamas war. 

Hundreds of students walked out of class to protest the war in Gaza and demand the university divest from companies that manufacture machinery used in Israel’s war. They were joined by other protestors that were not students.

Protesters were chanting “Divest from Death,’ “We are Hamas” and “Free Palestine.”

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We Will Not Be Occupied

The protesters said they were gathering to occupy and take control of the campus.

President Jay Hertzell of the University of Texas (UT) called Wednesday “a challenging day” in Austin. Emphasizing that protesters will not be allowed “to break the school's rules and policies” or to disrupt campus operations.

“Our university will not be occupied,” President Jay Hartzell insisted.

“The protesters tried to deliver on their stated intent to occupy campus. People not affiliated with UT joined them, and many ignored University officials’ continual pleas for restraint and to immediately disperse,” Hartzell wrote.

“UT Austin does not tolerate disruptions of campus activities or operations like we have seen at other campuses,” a statement by the university’s division of student affairs said.

“This is an important time in our semester with students finishing classes and studying for finals and we will act first and foremost to allow those critical functions to proceed without interruption,” the statement read.

Protesters attempt an Occupation

Law enforcement officers including state troopers in riot gear and mounted Austin police kept watch at the protest.  

By 2 p.m., as police began dispersing protesters from the Speedway Mall area, the students moved toward the UT Tower and to the South Lawn where they began setting up tents for an encampment. Police took the tents down almost immediately.

Protesters are trying to set up encampments at universities all over the country which the Palestine Solidarity Committee had said was its intention. to show their opposition for the conflict.

Hartzell said the university respects free speech but will take all necessary steps to ensure the school can continue to operate without interruption.

Arrests at University of Texas

Officers clashed with students after dozens of local police and state troopers formed a line to stop protesters from marching through campus to make good on their occupation. Law enforcement was attempting to block the protestors from entering the campus.

That’s when the arrests began.

Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, said arrests would continue until “the crowd disperses”.

“These protesters belong in jail,” Abbott said.

In the wake of the protests at universities across the US, the White House said that Joe Biden supports freedom of expression on college campuses.

“The president believes that free speech, debate and nondiscrimination on college campuses are important,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary, said at a briefing.

According to local news publication the Austin American-Statesman estimated that at least 54 were arrested during Wednesday’s University of Texas protests. The Austin Lawyers Guild, a leftist group that provides protest legal defense also reported 54 arrests.

By 9pm CST most of the protesters at UT dispersed, but others have returned to the south lawn as the police presence has waned.