2024 University of Texas at Austin pro-Palestinian campus protests | |||
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Part of pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses and Israel-Hamas war protests in the United States. | |||
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Date | April 24, 2024 – Present | ||
Location | University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States 30°16′59″N97°43′55″W / 30.283°N 97.732°W | ||
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Lead figures | |||
Palestine Solidarity Committee organizers | |||
Casualties and losses | |||
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Pro-Palestinian protests at the University of Texas at Austin began on April 24, 2024, organized by the Palestinian Solidarity Committee in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. The protests have included sit-ins, marches, and encampments on campus, calling for the university to divest from companies linked to Israel's actions in Gaza. The demonstrations escalated when university officials, with support from local and state law enforcement, intervened to disperse protestors, leading to multiple arrests and sparking criticism over the suppression of free speech on campus. Despite arrests and clashes with police, the protests have continued, drawing significant attention and raising debates about civil liberties and the role of university administration in managing campus protests.
Pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses started in 2023 and escalated in April 2024, spreading in the United States and other countries, as part of wider Israel–Hamas war protests. The escalation began after mass arrests at the Columbia University campus occupation, led by anti-Zionist groups, in which protesters demanded the university's disinvestment from Israel over its alleged genocide of Palestinians. [1] In the U.S. over 3,100 protesters have been arrested, [2] including faculty members and professors, [3] [4] on over 60 campuses. [5] On May 7, protests spread across Europe with mass arrests in the Netherlands. [6] [7] By May 12, twenty encampments had been established in the United Kingdom, and across universities in Australia and Canada. [8] [9] The protests largely ended as universities closed for the summer. [10]
The different protests' varying demands include severing financial ties with Israel, transparency over financial ties, an end to partnerships with Israeli institutions, [11] and amnesty for protesters. [12] Universities have suspended and expelled student protesters, in some cases evicting them from campus housing. [3] [13] [14] Some universities have relied on police to forcibly disband encampments and end occupations of buildings, [15] others made agreements with protesters for encampments to be dismantled, [16] and a number of universities have cut ties with Israeli institutions, or companies involved with Israel and its occupied territories. [lower-alpha 1] The occupations have also resulted in the closure of Columbia University, [23] Cal Poly Humboldt, [24] and the University of Amsterdam; [25] rolling strikes by academic workers on campuses in California; [26] and the cancellation of a few university graduation ceremonies in the U.S., with protests occurring at various ceremonies. [27] [28] [29]On April 24, 2024, the Palestinian Solidarity Committee student group at the University of Texas at Austin initiated a walkout and sit-in on the South Mall of the campus to protest the Israel-Hamas War and demand that the university divest from companies profiting from Israel's actions. [30] [31]
In response to the protest and an "occupation" of the university, the university, under the explicit direction of President Hartzell, requested the assistance of the Austin Police Department (APD) and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), in coordination with Governor of Texas Greg Abbott, to quell the demonstrations. [32] [33] [34] [35]
At least 50 troops in riot gear were deployed to disperse protesters, with reports of police on horseback and carrying batons aggressively engaging with the demonstrators. [36] This action led to the arrest of 57 protesters and several more detained, including a photojournalist who was reportedly being caught in a scuffle between law enforcement and students for Fox 7 Austin. [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] Fox 7 Austin reposted the viral footage to Twitter, stating their employee was pushed by an officer into another before being thrown to the ground and arrested. [42] [43] Another Texas journalist was knocked down and seen bleeding before being handed off to emergency medical staff by police. The officers ended up leaving after a few hours and about 300 demonstrators moved back to sit and chant near the clock tower. [44]
Following the arrests, a Travis County attorney stated, "It is not the role of the criminal justice system... to assist our governor in efforts to suppress nonviolent and peaceful demonstrations." [45] Charges were dismissed against 46 protesters the next day, leading to their subsequent release. [46] [47] [48] The remaining 11 protesters had their charges dropped on April 26, 2024. [49]
The deployment of police forces and the arrests prompted criticism and raised concerns about free speech on campus, which had been praised by Abbott and the university in prior years. [50] Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated that the UT Austin protesters "belong in jail", [51] leading the Council on American-Islamic Relations to respond, "The First Amendment applies to the State of Texas, whether Greg Abbott likes it or not." [52]
On April 25, 2024, more than 1,000 students, faculty, and staff protested outside of the Main Building calling for President Hartzell's resignation, along with the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors circulating a petition for a official motion of no-confidence against him. [53] [54] Within 72 hours, more than 500 professors and instructors, around 13% of all faculty, had already signed the petition, including several department chairs, such as Diana Marculescu, and a dean for the College of Liberal Arts. [55] On April 29, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. Central Daylight Time, the letter was formally delivered to President Hartzell, with 539 signatures, with the form remaining open for further signatures. [56] An separate group of 165 faculty, including Steve Vladeck, also signed an open letter condemning President Hartzell's actions for quelling free speech and endangering the campus community. [57] [58]
On April 29, 2024, a surprise protest occurred where protestors set up tents on campus and refused to leave when confronted by UTPD. Subsequently, APD and Texas DPS officers arrived at the scene and surrounded the encampment, leading to its dismantling, and the arrest of several protestors. Several protestors then moved to confront the police to block their departure and further, leading to the usage of pepper spray and stun grenades by law enforcement. [59] Additionally, several protestors had to receive medical attention due to the sweltering heat. [60] In total, 79 protestors were arrested, with 78 criminal trespassing charges, one "obstructing a highway" charge, and one "interference of public duties" charge filed. [61] This escalation drew further condemnation, above all for the usage of riot-dispersing tactics. [62] Travis County Attorney Delia Garza further stated that the way that the university handled the protests put a strain on the local criminal justice system, specifically reprimanding the sending of protestors to jail for low-level charges. [63]
A University of Texas at Austin student, Ammer Qaddumi, has filed a federal lawsuit against the university, President Jay Hartzell, and Provost Sharon Wood, alleging violations of his First Amendment rights after he was arrested during a protest against Israel’s actions in Gaza. Qaddumi, a senior at UT Austin, claims the university retaliated by threatening suspension and restricting his speech prior to the demonstration. The university has defended its actions, citing rule violations by the protesters, while Qaddumi's lawyer argues that the arrests and subsequent disciplinary actions, including Qaddumi's threatened three-semester suspension, were unjust and suppressed free speech. [64]
The University of Texas at Austin is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 52,384 students as of Fall 2022, it is also the largest institution in the system.
Gregory Gymnasium is the 4,000-seat current home of the University of Texas Longhorn women's volleyball team, and former home of the Longhorn basketball and swimming teams. The basketball teams moved out in 1977 to the Erwin Center. It also served as the home court for the Austin Aces of World Team Tennis from 2014 to 2015.
Students for Justice in Palestine is a pro-Palestinian college student activism organization in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. It has campaigned for boycott and divestment against corporations that deal with Israel and organized events about Israel's human rights violations. In 2011, The New York Times reported that "S.J.P., founded in 2001 at the University of California, Berkeley, has become the leading pro-Palestinian voice on campus."
Jay C. Hartzell is an American economist and the 30th President of the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, he holds the Centennial Chair in Business Education Leadership and the Trammell Crow Regents Professor in Business at UT Austin.
Protests, including rallies, demonstrations, campaigns, and vigils, relating to the Israel–Hamas war have occurred nationwide across the United States since the conflict's start on October 7, 2023, occurring as part of a broader phenomenon of the Israel–Hamas war protests around the world.
A series of pro-Palestinian protests were held in the United States on April 15, 2024.
A series of occupation protests by pro-Palestinian students occurred at Columbia University in New York City from April to June 2024, in the context of the broader Israel–Hamas war protests in the United States. The protests began on April 17, 2024, when pro-Palestinian students established an encampment of approximately 50 tents on the university campus, calling it the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, and demanded the university divest from Israel.
Pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses started in 2023 and escalated in April 2024, spreading in the United States and other countries, as part of wider Israel–Hamas war protests. The escalation began after mass arrests at the Columbia University campus occupation, led by anti-Zionist groups, in which protesters demanded the university's disinvestment from Israel over its alleged genocide of Palestinians. In the U.S. over 3,100 protesters have been arrested, including faculty members and professors, on over 60 campuses. On May 7, protests spread across Europe with mass arrests in the Netherlands. By May 12, twenty encampments had been established in the United Kingdom, and across universities in Australia and Canada. The protests largely ended as universities closed for the summer.
On April 25, 2024, a student protest began at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to protest the administration's investments in Israel. The occupation, self-titled as the 'Palestine Solidarity Encampment', was a part of pro-Palestine protests on university campuses campaigning for divestment from Israel. The encampment was attacked multiple times by counter protestors, leading to clashes. On May 2, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) raided and dismantled the encampment, arresting the protestors and ending the occupation.
On April 29, 2024, approximately 100 University of Oregon students established a camp on the Eugene campus to support Palestinians in Gaza and demanding action from administrators. As part of the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses, demonstrators requested for the university to divest from “the state of Israel, Israeli companies, and any weapons or surveillance manufacturing.”
In May 2024, pro-Palestinian student protesters at the University of Virginia demonstrated on the campus. The protesters organized an occupation on university grounds in support of Palestinian nationalism in the context of the Israel–Hamas war.
Elijah Demetrios Kahlenberg is a Jewish-American peace activist, political commentator, and founder/President of Atidna International, the first and only organization dedicated to creating joint dialogue and peace initiatives between Jewish/Israeli and Arab/Palestinian students on college campuses. Elijah Kahlenberg is also on the Board of Directors of Roots – Judur – Shorashim, the only organization working to bring together Jews and Arabs in the West Bank for joint initiatives promoting mutual understanding, reconciliation and nonviolence.
On May 6, 2024 University of Amsterdam (UvA) students established a pro-Palestinian protest occupation on the Roeterseiland campus to support Palestinians in Gaza and demand action from administrators. This became the first in a series of pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses throughout the Netherlands. On May 7, 169 people were detained when the police used a bulldozer to break down the barricades after the protesters refused to leave.
In 2024, an occupation protest was started by students on the University of Washington campus, in Seattle, Washington.
On April 25th, students at University of Pennsylvania began an encampment to protest the ongoing Israel–Hamas war and to call for divestment from Israel. The occupation, named the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment," was part of a series of 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses. On May 10th, the encampment was raided and protesters were arrested, ending the occupation.
The pro-Palestinian campus occupations at the University of Oxford are ongoing occupation protests in Oxford, England, organised by Oxford Action for Palestine (OA4P). The occupations started on 6 May 2024 on the Museum of Natural History's lawn, in front of the Pitt Rivers Museum. Escalating the protests, a second encampment was established on 19 May outside the Radcliffe Camera. Protests have taken elsewhere in the city, including on Wellington Square, where 17 students were arrested after occupying the Vice-Chancellor's office on 23 May. Protesters demands include disclosure of investments and divestment from Israeli companies, among others. The university refused to negotiate with protesters until responding to an email to arrange discussion on 5 June. The protests have been supported by over 500 members of staff, and criticised by the university as intimidating.
A series of protests at Ohio State University by pro-Palestinian demonstrators occurred on-campus in response to the Israel-Palestine conflict beginning on October 7, 2023. A solidarity encampment was constructed on OSU's South Oval on April 25, 2024, during which there were 36 confirmed arrests. About 40 protesters have been arrested across multiple non-violent protests, making for the largest en masse arrests on campus since the 1969–1970 Vietnam War protests.
Among the lead student groups in the coalition are the Columbia chapters of Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine. The two decades-old anti-Zionism advocacy groups that protest Israel's military occupation have chapters across the country that have been key to protests on other campuses.
It's one of several schools around the country where professors are getting arrested at demonstrations, circulating letters in support of arrested protesters and holding no-confidence votes in their administrations.