AUSTIN, Texas - Hundreds of students walked out of class at the University of Texas at Austin today to rally for Palestine and attempt to occupy the South Lawn on campus.
The students are now gathering on the South Lawn and have been setting up tents while chanting "Free Free Palestine" and other slogans, including ones aimed at the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and even Austin police.
Protesters are calling for a ceasefire between the Israeli forces and Hamas, as well as an end to what they call the occupation of Palestine.
Hundreds of Texas state troopers responded to the scene alongside officers from the University of Texas and Austin police departments.
Troopers at Palestine UT college rally
Troopers move through the crowd of a Palestine rally on the University of Texas campus.
UTPD is warning people to avoid the area in the 2200 block of Speedway for "police activity". This area is between the South Lawn and the Gregory Gymnasium where the march began.
There is no official number of arrests according to law enforcement, but FOX 7 Austin has seen about six and is working to confirm.
FOX 7 Austin captured on video troopers pinning a person to the ground and detaining them. Troopers are also using bikes as barricades to push students back.
UT Palestine protester pinned, arrested
Warning: Foul language. Video shot by FOX 7 shows DPS troopers pinning down and arresting a Palestine protester on UT campus. It is unclear if the arrested protester is a student.
The rally was organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee to follow "in the footsteps of our comrades at Columbia SJP, Rutgers-New Brunswick, Yale, and countless others across the nation." according to a post on social media about the rally.
UT Austin, in an April 23 letter to the PSC organizers, said that their event "has declared intent to violate our policies and rules, and disrupt our campus operations" and that the university would not "allow this campus to be ‘taken’ and protestors to derail our mission in ways that groups affiliated with your national organization have accomplished elsewhere."
In the letter, UT Austin said that any attempt to hold the event would subject the PSC and its members to discipline, including suspension, and anyone who attended not affiliated with the University would be directed to leave campus.
Refusal to comply may end in the individual being arrested, the letter said.
Palestine college rally on UT Austin campus
A Palestine rally is being held on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin.
Jewish student organization Texas Hillel posted on social media that it had learned of the plan for the protest early Monday.
"The timing of this protest is not lost on us - making use of a Jewish holiday and observance to promote a hateful agenda - and we quickly contacted our university and security partners to begin coordinating a response plan to keep our campus and our students safe," said the post.
Texas Hillel said it started working with campus partners and UTPD to prepare for the protest "to ensure student and campus safety."
"The University has assured us there will be no tolerance for disruption or behaviors misaligned to University policy and the Governor’s executive order," said the post.
In March, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered Texas universities to revise their free speech policies in an effort to curb antisemitism in the wake of the current conflict between Hamas and Israel.
This request for universities to revamp their free speech policies singled out pro-Palestinian groups. And while it aimed to address antisemitism, it did not aim to address Islamophobia.
The executive order gave universities 90 days to make and enforce the changes, meaning the changes would have to be implemented by the end of June.
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The UT rally comes just after President Joe Biden signed a bill granting more than $26 billion in aid to Israel, including humanitarian relief for the citizens of Gaza.
About $4 billion will be dedicated to replenishing Israel’s missile defense systems and an additional $2.4 billion will be used for current U.S. military operations in the region.
Students at Columbia University and New York University in NYC have been protesting and calling for their schools to condemn Israel's assault on Gaza and divest from companies that sell weapons to Israel.
Some Jewish students say that much of the criticism of Israel has veered into antisemitism and made them feel unsafe. They point out that Hamas is still holding hostages taken during the group's Oct. 7 invasion.
Dozens of students supporting Palestinians at Columbia have been staging a "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on the NYC campus for almost a week. Dozens of students have been arrested and some suspended.
The Associated Press, FOX TV Digital Team, FOX 4 Dallas, and FOX 5 New York contributed to this report.
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Palestine college rally: University of Texas students walk; troopers on scene - FOX 7 Austin
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