DOZENS of pro-Palestine protesters were arrested at the University of Texas on Wednesday as demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war spread across campuses nationwide.
The chaos erupted in Austin on Wednesday evening, with students warned they could be hit with criminal charges if they did not move on.
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Hundreds of local and state police, some on horseback and holding batons, could be seen trying to break up the crowds by pushing into protesters.
Others could be seen cuffing demonstrators and hauling them away.
Officers made 34 arrests in total under the orders of the university and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
“Arrests being made right now and will continue until the crowd disperses,” Governor Abbott wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“These protesters belong in jail. Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period. Students joining in hate-filled, anti-Semitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled.”
The demonstration follows protests at New York University and Columbia University this week.
Cops also peacefully arrested demonstrators at the University of Southern California hours after the scenes in Texas unfolded on Wednesday, Associated Press reports.
In Texas, over 200 students calling for their school to condemn Israel’s military action in Gaza and divest from companies that sell weapons to the country gathered outside the university’s Gregory Gym at noon.
Two hours later they moved to the South Lawn where they planned to sit the rest of the day.
There was also a small group of counter-protesters who were present.
Students could be heard chanting as officers from several different units responded.
Many were filming as officers attempted to control the crowds.
In one video, officers are using batons and clear shields to push people back, clearing them off the lawn.
Video circulated on X of a message from cops saying the demonstration was in violation of the penal code and considered trespassing.
The university sent out an alert on Wednesday afternoon telling students to avoid the area.
‘DELUSIONAL’
Abbott was not the only state official to chime in on the increasing protests.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick criticized organizers, who said they’d establish “THE POPULAR UNIVERSITY FOR GAZA” in an Instagram post that announced plans for the Wednesday protest.
“This is delusional. We have big problems on our college campuses,” Patrick said on X.
“We do not support Hamas in any form. Texans overwhelmingly support Israel and the Jewish people.”
He also thanked police and the Department of Public Safety “for shutting down the attempted takeover of the university.”
Students joining in hate-filled, anti-Semitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled.
Greg Abbott
“In Texas, we won’t allow antisemitic, pro-Hamas protesters to take control of our universities. Protesters were warned to disperse before any arrests were made,” he affirmed.
State Representative Gina Hinojosa also commented on the arrests, saying they were “out of hand.”
“We’re getting answers about why students are being arrested @UTAustin. Unless there was an actual threat of violence, this is out of hand. In normal times when I was a student I was in a ‘sit in,'” she wrote on X.
Protests have ignited across college campuses since the horrific attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7.
Almost 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians, and around 250 people were taken hostage.
In response, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
‘HORRIFIED AND DISGUSTED’
The White House made a statement on Sunday after videos were posted online showing protesters supporting the attacks in October.
“While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly anti-Semitic, unconscionable, and dangerous,” the statement read, according to BBC.
“And echoing the rhetoric of terrorist organizations, especially in the wake of the worst massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, is despicable.”
President Joe Biden also denounced “blatant antisemitism” on college campuses without directly referencing any universities with recent protests.
“Even in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country,” he said in a statement marking the Jewish Passover holiday.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was “horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University Campus”.
He also said New York police would arrest anyone found to be breaking the law.
The U.S. Sun has contacted the Austin Texas Police Department and the University of Texas at Austin for comment.
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