Protesters against Israel are planning to gather once again on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin on Tuesday. On Monday, hundreds of protesters suddenly set up camp on the university’s lawn, leading to the arrest of dozens.
“Join us today, Tuesday, April 30th, as we discuss the history of Palestine, key aspects of the movement, and the modern backdrop under the colonial system,” the Palestine Solidarity Committee wrote on Instagram Tuesday morning.
The organization claims that the university is attempting to suppress their freedom of speech and assembly rights.
“When we see students at this university and across the country being suppressed, it is clear that the university does not value education and justice – we will continue to advocate for a free Palestine through education and community support, and we will continue to fight for liberation.”
According to the Austin American Statesman, on Monday, over 100 Palestinian supporters were arrested while trying to occupy the South Lawn, setting up tents and chaining picnic tables. Travis County officials stated that they might face charges for resisting arrest and assault.
“Some protesters, many of whom were thought not to be affiliated with the university, set up a tent camp on the South Lawn, using metal chains to secure tables as a barricade, and deliberately placed tools, tents, and rocks,” officials at the University of Texas at Austin said in a statement Monday night.
Chaos and violence ensued as the administrators and law enforcement ordered them to leave and began dismantling the camp.
The university stated: “As they approached, protesters engaged in physical and verbal altercations with staff from Student Affairs, leading to an escalation.” In response, the University of Texas swiftly took action to maintain a safe and conducive learning environment for the 53,000 students preparing for final exams scheduled for May 2, 4, and 6. The graduation ceremony is set for May 11.
The university called on the Texas Department of Public Safety to provide support “to safeguard the safety of the campus community and enforce our institutional rules, such as the rule against setting up tents on campus.”
“Due to the camping and other rule-violating behaviors related to the protest activities, protesters were repeatedly told to leave. When they refused to depart, some were arrested for unlawful intrusion. Others were arrested for disorderly conduct,” campus officials said.
Later in the evening, the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) urged its supporters to gather outside the Travis County Jail to protest the arrests, with groups from across the country occupying university campuses demanding “liberation” for the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. PYM describes itself as a “transnational, independent, grassroots movement of Palestinian and Arab youth struggling for national liberation”.
Supporters were instructed to bring “portable chargers, noise-makers, cigarettes, water, food, energy, and friends!”
The organization claims that those arrested are not being provided with “food, water, and medical services” in jail.
The Epoch Times has contacted Travis County officials for more information.
PYM appears to be part of a broader coalition, calling on educators, students, and others to “defend Gaza”.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Student Association of the USA, and the Young Muslim Organization held a “Know Your Rights: Empowering Protests” online seminar over the weekend.
“CAIR national chapters support students’ rights to free speech and endorse their call to end Israeli genocide, ethnic cleansing, and enforced starvation,” CAIR wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.
The online seminar provided legal information and resources to Islamic groups and their supporters, including how to handle interactions with law enforcement.
According to the email, Corey Saylor, research and advocacy director at CAIR, told participants: “Your revolution is to stop a genocide.”
“The protests in response to George Floyd’s killing are reminding America that we need to have difficult conversations in our country,” Saylor added. “Seeing the fortress of academic freedom deploying law enforcement against their students and faculty who support ending genocide suggests that uncomfortable conversations are still unwelcome.”
On Monday night, PYM called for a “strike” at universities across the nation starting on May 1.
“No classes. No grading. No finals. Strike!”
“Starting May 1, we call on teachers, academics, and graduate students to join the student movement and withhold labor from institutions investing in genocide. Your boards of trustees and administrations have not listened to the demands of the student movement. They brutally cleared the camp, doubled down on investments in Israel, some of whom have stated they will not divest. Your actions can change this reality and increase pressure to new heights,” the organization wrote on Instagram.
The organization alleges that universities are funding the war against Hamas.
“Hear the call of the Palestinian labor unions: ‘Decent work should never come at the expense of countless Palestinian lives… The injury to one is actually an injury to all.’ Our university has invested in bombs that destroy the educational infrastructure of Gaza. If Gaza does not have functioning universities, there should not be functioning universities here,” the post continued.
As faculty, students, and external individuals continue to infiltrate campuses protesting the Israel-Hamas war, unrest on university campuses nationwide is escalating.
On October 7, Hamas terrorists brutally attacked Israel, resulting in over 1,200 deaths, with hundreds of Israelis and foreigners taken hostage. At least 130 individuals are still missing, believed to be held captive. Some are presumed dead.
After being attacked in their own country, Israel launched ground operations and attacks on Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry, managed by Hamas, claims that over 30,000 Palestinians have died in the ongoing conflict. Israel maintains that at least 10,000 of the casualties were Hamas combatants.
About a week ago, the Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC) at the University of Texas at Austin attempted for the first time to “follow in the footsteps of our comrades at Columbia University SJP, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Yale University, and countless others nationwide” to occupy the university, according to the organization’s Instagram account.
University administrators warned the PSC multiple times that their activities would violate institutional policies. They informed the organization that such protests were not allowed, and violators would be arrested.
Ignoring the opinions of university administrators, the PSC proceeded with their plans on April 24.
Law enforcement officers were deployed on campus, leading to the arrest of over 50 individuals for trespassing. All arrestees were later released, and all charges were dropped.
Following the initial arrest operation, a group of university professors, known as the American Association of University Professors, condemned University of Texas at Austin President Jay Hartzell for allowing law enforcement onto the campus and making arrests after agitators refused to comply with evacuation orders from the school and police.
On Thursday, April 25, the faculty group and PSC joined forces for protests once again, resulting in student groups being suspended by the university.
According to university officials, there had been over a dozen similar demonstration incidents on campus before April 24, with most not resulting in any incidents.
The university stated that they support freedom of speech and assembly rights in their community as long as student safety is not threatened.
“The university strongly supports freedom of speech and assembly rights in our community, and we want students and others on campus to know that protests on campus are entirely permitted as long as they do not violate institutional rules or threaten the safety of our campus community,” a spokesperson for the University of Texas at Austin said in a statement.