AUSTIN, Texas – Protesters advocating for Palestine have gathered once again at the University of Texas at Austin (UT). The UT Police Department issued a dispersal order as protesters assembled on South Mall, prompting support from additional forces from DPS around 1:30 pm. During the rally three people were reportedly arrested by authorities that arrived before them in campus area for peaceful assembly activities which continued since last week after similar events where approximately sixty individuals had been apprehended and charged with offenses such as trespassing, disorderly conduct or failure to disperse orders from law enforcement.
The demonstrations at UT Austin are part of a broader wave of protests across the country in support of Palestine following Israel’s recent military actions against Gaza which resulted in civilian casualties and displacement. At Columbia University in New York, pro-Palestinian activists pitched tents to showcase their views as part of the sit-in demonstrations for nearly three weeks when the administration called for eviction citing a safety risk at around 2 pm yesterday; it was later communicated that all charges against those who were detained in Austin on Wednesday have been dropped.
Similar arrests and police actions followed, including the New York Police Department (NYPD) taking into custody over one hundred thirty protesters late Monday night outside NYU’s Washington Square Park campus after they refused to disperse despite warnings from law enforcement officials who claimed that some of them had thrown bottles at officers. In Connecticut, forty-eight people were detained during a peaceful protest against Israeli aggression in the region which happened yesterday morning when students and other demonstrators staged their actions near Yale University’s plaza; four non-students among those arrested included Greenpeace USA climate activist Kendall Mackey.
Additionally, Georgia authorities have apprehended multiple protesters at a rally held in the state capitol grounds calling for action over what has unfolded regarding Palestinian autonomy and self-determination; these arrests were made by both UGA police officers as well as Georgia State Patrol troopers.
Leave a Reply