Texas

79 Protesters Arrested At Monday’s Pro-Palestine Protest At UT-Austin

79 students and protesters were arrested Monday at the University of Texas at Austin after people set up a camp on campus to protest the Hamas-Israel war

According to the Austin American-Statesman, 78 of those arrested were charged with criminal trespass, while one person was charged with an additional of obstructing a highway or passageway. Another person was also charged with interfering with public duties.

According to preliminary reports, 46 of the people arrested in the protest were not students, though it is not clear whether the numbers included faculty or staff members.

On Monday afternoon, protesters formed a surprise encampment on the UT-Austin campus as a form of protest. Students stood in solidarity with other protesters at universities across the country, calling for a cease-fire and for their schools to end ties with Israeli arms manufacturers.

According to Georgina Bermudez, a senior biochemistry major at UT, police began pepper spraying protesters and arresting them without warning.

“Nobody was doing anything violent against police. We’re literally just standing there,” Bermudez said.

Last Wednesday, 57 people were arrested at another protest at UT-Austin. All of those arrested were charged with criminal trespass, but all of those charges were dropped because of deficiencies in the affidavits.

Attorneys for those arrested last Wednesday also said that last week’s affidavits were essentially “copied and pasted,” but this week’s affidavits will have more details, according to documents obtained by the Austin American-Statesman.

The Palestine Solidarity Committee, the organization that planned Wednesday’s protest, has planned at least two other protests on the UT campus this week, including one on Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning, more than 50 people gathered at the Travis County Jail to await the release of the protesters. They gathered with coffee, water and food to wait for their friends and family.

Since the April 18 protest at Columbia University in New York City, hundreds of students have been arrested across U.S. universities, including Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Southern California, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California State Polytechnic University, among others.

RA Staff

Written by RA News staff.

Recent Posts

Trump Taps Lt. Gov. Patrick, Dr. Phil for Religious Liberty Commission

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will lead…

12 hours ago

Economic Momentum Slows As Trump Hits 100-Day Mark Amid Trade Uncertainty

In President Trump’s first 100 days back in office, early signs of economic strain are…

19 hours ago

Can Ecstasy Cure Trauma? New Military Trial Says Maybe

A team of researchers from The University…

19 hours ago

Cornyn Lagging Paxton in Internal Polls

New internal GOP polls show incumbent U.S.…

2 days ago

John Bash Exits Texas Attorney General Race, Citing Family Health Concerns

John Bash, a prominent attorney known for…

2 days ago

This website uses cookies.