UT Austin says 26 of 55 arrested protestors were not affiliated with the university

AUSTIN, Texas — UPDATE on 4/26/2024:

The following message from UT Austin President Jay Hartzell was distributed to campus late Thursday in response to pro-Palestine protests on Wednesday and Thursday.

Dear Campus Community,

Yesterday was clearly a rough, divisive day for our campus. As the push to disrupt top universities spreads across the country, many campuses such as ours are facing similarly difficult challenges. We are all wrestling with how to juggle broad, important goals, including student safety, continuity and excellence in teaching and research, and the right to express one’s views and call for change. I imagine that virtually all of us support each of those goals, even though we might disagree to some extent about how to weigh them in a particular situation. The University’s decision to not allow yesterday’s event to go as planned was made because we had credible indications that the event’s organizers, whether national or local, were trying to follow the pattern we see elsewhere, using the apparatus of free speech and expression to severely disrupt a campus for a long period. Consistent with this broader movement that is impacting so many, problematic aspects of the planned protest were modeled after a national organization’s protest playbook. And notably, 26 of the 55 individuals arrested yesterday had no UT affiliation.

Against this backdrop, I am reminded today that we have much to be thankful for. I’m thankful we live in a country where free expression is a fiercely protected Constitutional right. I’m grateful that our campus has seen 13 pro-Palestinian events take place during the past several months largely without incident — plus another one today. I am grateful that everyone is safe after yesterday, we continue to hold in-person classes, and that today’s events followed our long-standing campus standards for allowed demonstrations. And I’m grateful to work in a place where people with different points of view come together to try to solve hard problems. Some days, those problems seem especially daunting, but changing the world for the better isn’t easy.

Thank you for showing your fellow Longhorns grace and empathy, and for remembering that we’re all trying to support and educate an incredibly talented group of students. I encourage us all to continue to communicate and work together, and to help our students finish this school year in positive, safe and celebratory ways.

Take care,

Jay Hartzell

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4/25/2024:

PresidentThursday’s pro-Palestinian rally on the University of Texas at Austin campus was a stark contrast to Wednesday’s protest that ended with 57 arrests. Hundreds gathered in front of the UT Tower to try for the second day to make their voices heard.

Signs calling for free speech and upholding First Amendment rights were held high during Thursday’s protest. The Palestine Solidarity Committee says a loud but peaceful protest is what they were trying to achieve on Wednesday.

“This was our goal yesterday,” said UT senior Jenna Homsi who is a member of the Palestine Solidarity Committee.

Homsi says Thursday’s peaceful protest is being bolstered by supporters from across Austin and the state.

“People are coming from all corners to help us out today and to help our voices be heard,” said Homsi.

There were no arrests during Thursday's protest and the police presence was significantly smaller. The officers CBS Austin saw were limited to the outer edges of the protest area near the UT Tower.

Jewish students say they do not think Thursday’s peaceful co-assembly would have happened without Wednesday’s show of force by law enforcement.

“Yesterday, I think the police presence was totally needed,” said Jasmine Rad with Longhorn Students for Israel.

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Rad does not think Wednesday’s police response was an overreaction.

“No, no, not at all. As a Jewish student, I felt that if that response were not there I would feel unsafe. I felt safe enough to come here and stand up for what I believe in,” said Rad.

UT faculty are asking for more clarification from university leadership about why DPS troopers were called to campus on Wednesday. Some say they did not see the need for dozens of arrests.

“What I saw was a peaceful demonstration by students exercising their right to say what they will under the First Amendment. There was no violence. There was no antisemitism,” said Dr. Geraldine Helg, a UT Professor.

The University of Texas at Austin released a statement on Thursday with a clarification on why a police response was necessary.

Wednesday’s protest organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee sought to follow the playbook of the national campaign to paralyze the operations of universities across the country. Like at each of those universities, and confirming our serious concern, there was significant participation by outside groups present on our campus yesterday. This outside group presence is what we’ve seen from the affiliated national organization’s efforts to disrupt and create disorder. Roughly half (26) of the 55 people who violated Institutional Rules and were ultimately arrested were unaffiliated with The University of Texas. Thirteen pro-Palestinian free speech events have taken place at the University largely without incident since October. In contrast, this one, in particular, expressed an intent to disrupt the campus and directed participants to break Institutional Rules and occupy the University, consistent with national patterns.

Some faculty think yesterday’s crackdown was in response to escalating protests on other campuses across the country.

“Students on this campus should not be punished for things that are happening on other campuses, even if they support the same ideals and principles,” said Dr. Helg.

Organizers of the pro-Palestine protest say this will not be the last time they speak out on the UT campus. They say they will continue to make their voices heard until the University acts on their demands to divest from companies that make Israeli weapons.