Texas

Charges Against Most Students Arrested In Pro-Palestinian Protest At UT Austin Dismissed

Charges have been dropped against 46 of the 57 people arrested at Wednesday’s pro-Palestine protest at UT-Austin.

Those arrested were charged with criminal trespass after UT officials ordered the protesters to disperse. The 57 protesters were booked into the Travis County Jail, according to The Texas Tribune.

Defense attorneys raised concerns about “deficiencies” in the arrest affidavits and Travis County Attorney Delia Garza said law enforcement lacked probable cause in the 46 cases that were dismissed.

Garza’s office will continue to review individual cases to “determine whether prosecution is factually and legally appropriate,” a spokeswoman for Garza said.

“We are working with defense attorneys of those arrested as we continue to investigate each case and determine if charges are necessary,” Garza said. “We ask that anyone released not return to campus.”

On Wednesday, students gathered for a peaceful protest demanding the university to cut financial ties with Israel and companies that enable the conflict between Hamas and Israel.

Department of Public Security troopers in riot gear met the students and ordered protesters to disperse, as students were moving, they began making arrests. According to DPS, the troopers responded by request from UT President Jay Hartzell and Gov. Greg Abbott.

On Thursday students gathered again to protest for a Hamas-Israel ceasefire and for the students arrested, but this time there were no DPS troopers.

Also on Thursday, the university released a statement saying there was a “significant outside group presence” at the Wednesday protest, and that the UT had acted to stop the group from paralyzing “the operations of universities across the country.”According to the UT, 26 of the people arrested were not affiliated with the university, but according to documents obtained by KUT, seven of the 11 people whose charges were not dismissed were students listed in the UT’s directory.

RA Staff

Written by RA News staff.

Recent Posts

Texas Bets on Bitcoin: A Strategic Play for Financial Innovation

In a move that has drawn national…

3 hours ago

Elon Musk’s $50K House vs. His Nearly $70K Cybertruck

Elon Musk, a figure with billion-dollar ventures…

5 hours ago

25 Dead, Dozens Missing After Catastrophic Flooding in Kerr County

At least 24 people are dead and many more remain missing — including children from…

13 hours ago

Delta-8 vs. Delta-9: Why Texas’ Marijuana Dispensaries Say They Can’t Compete

Texas' medical marijuana industry entered 2025’s legislative…

1 day ago

Paxton drops appeal: Texas to pay $6.6 million to whistleblowers

Texas will pay $6.6 million to four former top deputies to Attorney General Ken Paxton…

1 day ago

Texas Cities Gear Up for a Vibrant Fourth of July

This Fourth of July, Texas’ biggest metro…

1 day ago

This website uses cookies.