Protests at the University of Texas at Austin continue to heat up as demonstrators call for the school to divest from companies that provide arms to the Israel Defense Forces. Gov. Greg Abbott has made it clear that any such divestment is off the table. "This will never happen," he stated in a tweet during Sunday's protest, reported KXAN. In the same breath, Abbott threatened to swiftly shut down any "illegal protests" on campus.
Last Sunday, UT Austin was the stage for student and faculty demonstrations. Standing amidst a heavy police presence, protesters have continued to express their discontent with the university's investment policies, according to CBS Austin. Over the past week, these demonstrations have sparked confrontations with law enforcement, resulting in multiple arrests for criminal trespassing and university rule violations. Assuredly, organizers have vowed to persist, despite the governor's stance.
Interactions between protesters and law enforcement have drawn criticism, especially after over 100 arrests were made the previous week. Most of these charges were dropped, but a photojournalist faces misdemeanor assault and interference charges after being arrested while live-streaming the event. "What we’re being arrested for across this country is the same thing we want to shine a light on what is happening in Gaza," a UT junior named Adam told KXAN.
Amidst the protests, more than 600 UT faculty members signed a letter of no-confidence in university president Jay Hartzell, challenging his decision to bring in the Texas Department of Public Safety during the protests. In contrast, 36 UT alumni, including former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, have backed Hartzell, thanking him for "maintaining a safe environment." Hartzell defended his actions in a published opinion piece, stating they were "protecting the safety of our campus community," reported by CBS Austin.
As the school battles issues of free speech, another group held a march to protest against antisemitism close to where student demonstrators were gathered. "We are out here today because we feel very strongly about supporting the state of Israel, and we feel strongly about supporting the Jewish students at UT," said Barbara Altman, defending the counter-protest. This comes after the U.S. House passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which if made law, would establish a federal standard for defining antisemitism.
