Horse-riding troopers squash anti-Israel protest at University of Texas
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott condemned the demonstration and called for the arrest and expulsion of any student caught in the protest.
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University of Texas at Austin students held a short-lived protest on Wednesday.An anti-Israel protest at the University of Texas at Austin inspired by the Columbia University encampment was quickly crushed before it started by Texas State Troopers on horseback Wednesday — with three demonstrators arrested.
The university had warned the Palestine Solidarity Committee, which encouraged the students to protest on the campus, that the event was unauthorized and would not be allowed to “proceed as planned,” local KVUE reports.
Despite the warning, hundreds of students walked out of their class before noon to demonstrate at the school’s Gregory Plaza with attempts to occupy the lawn, only to be met by a phalanx of troopers and cops.
“I don’t think students were expecting this kind of a response,” Amelia Kimball, associate managing editor at student newspaper, The Daily Texan, told CNN.
Video from The Daily Texan shows the moment the officers arrived, marching in line and equipped with riot gear as several others approached on horseback.
Kimball said the protest lasted only minutes, with the crowd ordered to disperse as she noted “physical struggles between police and students.”
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott condemned the demonstration and called for the arrest and expulsion of any student caught in the protest.
Gov. Greg Abbott called for the protesters to be jailed.
Students had been warned before the protest.
These protesters belong in jail,” Abbot wrote on X. “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,” the governor added.
As of Wednesday evening, police were still pushing and ordering students away with their bikes from the south lawn.
The remaining crowd of students could be heard shouting “Free! Free Palestine!,” as they linked arms and ignored officers’ orders.
The Palestine Solidarity Committee had put out a call for “emergency action” on Tuesday calling on students to “reclaim our space” through the protest as a show of solidarity with the college demonstrations in New York and across the country.
“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 and demanding our administration divest from death,” the group wrote on Instagram.
Video from The Daily Texan shows the
moment the officers arrived, marching in line and equipped with riot
gear as several others approached on horseback
The UT administration, however, told the group on Tuesday that the campus will not be occupied by the protesters.
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,” officials wrote in a statement to the group.
“Any attempt to do so will subject your organization and its attending members to discipline including suspension under the Institutional Rules,” the college warned.
The university has confirmed that 10 people have been arrested over the protest.
UT at Austin did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
One of the protesters arrested was identified as an organizer of the event who was taken to Travis County Jail, according to the Texas Tribune.
The swift police action in Texas comes as similar protests continue at Columbia University, where students are occupying the campus lawn to protest Israel’s war in Gaza.
University of Texas students walked out of class and gathered in protest as pro-Gaza groups took to universities across the US and clashed with police
Police arrest a student during a pro-Palestine demonstration at the The University of Texas at Austin
Police arrested activists - who burst out in tears when they were handcuffed - after warning them they could face criminal charges if they did not disperse
One of the protesters detained by Texas troopers is seen above
Police have arrested at least four demonstrators at UT Austin after warning them they could face criminal charges if they did not disperse
The rally at the Austin campus was organized by the university's Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSJ) chapter
The protesters in Austin asked for 'support' on Instagram as riot police showed up on campus
Hundreds of Texas troopers went into the University of Texas at Austin campus to control a pro-Palestine student protest
Demonstrators at UT Austin were seen sobbing as they watched police enter the scene
One of the protesters is seen as he was detained by police
The PSC chapter said on Instagram: 'UT administration has called on state troopers in an attempt to scare us into silence'
They added: 'get these pics off our campus'
A pro-Palestine protester is detained by police on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin
Law enforcement work to contain a crowd during a pro-Palestine demonstration at the The University of Texas at Austin
2 comments:
The UT Police practice crowd control and defensive tactics on a regular schedule. The Chief of all UT Police in Texas is a friend. These cops did a fine job. Keep up the good work, David. (USA)
Tolerating bad behavior merely encourages more bad behavior Anybody who has ever raised a child or a puppy knows that, or at least SHOULD know that.
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