HOUSTON – More than 100 people were arrested as police and pro-Palestinian protesters clashed on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) on Monday afternoon, local media reported, citing Travis County officials.
The officials said the charges could include resisting arrest and assault.
“I have seen two people violently arrested,” a protester told Xinhua, asking for anonymity.
At least three people passed out from dehydration and were transported to the hospital during the protest, another witness said.
The rally started as an event on recent “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” layoffs at the university, and anti-war protesters joined at noon time. Dozens of protesters, chanting “Free Palestine,” were attempting to set up an encampment using foldable tables, tents and other barriers on the campus’s South Mall park.
Shortly after the rally started, the UT Police Department posted a dispersal order on social media, demanding everyone leave the rally area immediately.
Around 1:30 pm local time (1830 GMT), police moved in to clear people out of the area by force. Police also reportedly used pepper spray to disperse crowds.
Protesters could be heard chanting, “There is no riot here, why are you in riot gear?”
“What brought me out today was seeing the response against students here who are peacefully protesting. I find it absurd that the state and local police departments have come down upon UT Austin and arrested students and protestors for peacefully protesting,” Elliott Benavides, a student with UT Austin, told Xinhua.
“I’m a faculty at UT Austin, we are here on behalf of our students who are no longer safe on this campus because the University administration insists on calling in the police every time the students gather to voice their opinions,” said Pavithra Vasudevan, a university faculty member.
UT Austin spokesperson Brian Davis said in a statement on Monday that “protesters ignored repeated directives from both the administration and law enforcement officers to comply with Institutional Rules and remove tents assembled on the University’s South Lawn.”
The university last week placed the Palestine Solidarity Committee, a registered student group that organized last week’s protest in which 57 people were arrested, on interim suspension. The committee said on Monday that it was not involved in organizing the event but is supportive of the protesters.
“No encampments will be allowed. Instead, arrests are being made.” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on Monday afternoon.
All charges against the 57 protesters arrested last week have been dropped, the Travis County attorney’s office confirmed on Friday.
In Houston, a number of students at Rice University and the University of Houston also joined the nationwide efforts involving students in pro-Palestinian protests on Wednesday.
From Texas to California, pro-Palestinian demonstrations are spreading on campuses across the United States as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Gaza continues. To date, hundreds have been arrested by police amid student protests.