'These Protesters Belong in Jail': Gov. Abbott Cheers Arrest of Pro-Palestine Protesters at UT Austin

Arrests being made right now & will continue until the crowd disperses.

These protesters belong in jail.

Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period.

Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled. https://t.co/XhLlQdvUl0

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 24, 2024

The Texas DPS police which failed the children of Uvalde are now brutalizing American kids at UT Austin on behalf of the genocidal child slaughtering government of apartheid Israel and its local stooges. Absolute losers. pic.twitter.com/aotlxzzZTg

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) April 24, 2024

Austin PD has a long track record of collaboration with Israel lobby outfit ADL and training with Israeli occupation forces, supposedly to learn “counterterrorism”, but in reality to gain experience crushing popular protests against genocide. https://t.co/mFa8GCLcXH pic.twitter.com/qQ3WFA0dTI

— Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) April 25, 2024

A student walkout protest in support of Palestine at the University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday turned increasingly chaotic as the day went by, resulting in at least 30 people being handcuffed and removed from the school, including two members of the media.

About 500 students demanded that UT-Austin divest from manufacturers supplying Israel weapons in its strikes on Gaza. They gathered outside the university’s Gregory Gym before moving to the South Lawn, where they had planned to stay into the evening. A small crowd of counter-protesters were present at the student demonstrations.

Officers at the scene donned riot gear and in some cases wielded mace or mounted horses while trying to drive back the protesters. Some officers could be seen pushing protesters with their batons. Several students were pushed to the ground and handcuffed with white plastic ties. Students acting as legal observers frantically shouted to get their names.

The demonstration showed no signs of violence before authorities intervened, though police did order the attendees to disperse and warned many that they would be arrested for trespassing.