Police arrested dozens of students who walked out of class to protest against Israel on April 24.
A faculty group at The University of Texas at Austin (UT–Austin) has called another protest for Thursday after it condemned the university president for enforcing school policy when hundreds of students walked out of class on Wednesday afternoon to occupy campus in protest of Israel’s strikes on Gaza.
“Today, our University held firm, enforcing our rules while protecting the Constitutional right to free speech,” UT–Austin President Jay Hartzell wrote in a campuswide statement Wednesday night.
“Peaceful protests within our rules are acceptable. Breaking our rules and policies and disrupting others’ ability to learn are not allowed. The group that led this protest stated it was going to violate Institutional Rules. Our rules matter, and they will be enforced. Our University will not be occupied,” Mr. Hartzell continued.
“The protesters tried to deliver on their stated intent to occupy campus. People not affiliated with UT joined them, and many ignored University officials’ continual pleas for restraint and to immediately disperse. The University did as we said we would do in the face of prohibited actions. We were prepared, with the necessary support to maintain campus operations and ensure the safety, well-being and learning environment for our more than 50,000 students.”
Faculty Hold Their Own Protest
The UT–Austin chapter of the American Association of University Professors denounced Mr. Hartzell for allowing law enforcement to be deployed to the campus where the Palestine Solidarity Committee held its protest against Israel.
“We, faculty of UT Austin, condemn President Jay Hartzell and our administrative leaders’ decision to invite city police as well as state troopers from across the state—on horses, motorcycles, and bicycles, in riot gear and armed with batons, pepper spray, tear gas and guns to our campus today in response to a planned peaceful event by our students,” read the statement posted on X on Wednesday night.
The group also called on faculty members to cancel classes and gather in front of the university tower on Thursday shortly after noon.
