AUSTIN, Texas — Pro-Palestinian protesters plan another large demonstration at The University of Texas in Austin's South Mall lawn at noon on Wednesday, the site of two recent mass arrests by local police.
On Tuesday, university police added a new layer of barricades, blocking off the staircase connecting the South Mall to the tower where many university administration officials work.
A few minutes away, at the Travis County jail, UT students and local activists remained camped outside, awaiting the release of Monday’s protesters.
“I was arrested last week, and when I was in the jail cell alone, the one thing that got me through was I could hear the protesters out here chanting,” said Arwyn Heilrayne, 19, a UT freshman.
Police moved in on campus protesters yesterday who set up an encampment on the South Mall. In a statement, the university said protesters were physically and verbally combative with university officials.
“A total of 79 people were booked into the Travis County Jail in association with yesterday's protest on the University of Texas campus,” said Drew Knight, spokesman for the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, in an emailed statement to WFAA. “The University of Texas Police Department is the arresting agency for 75 of them. The Austin Police Department is the arresting agency for 4 of them.”
Of the 79 arrested, 78 were charged with criminal trespass. One has an additional charge of obstructing a highway, and another of the protesters was charged with Interfering with public duties, Knight explained.
But unlike last Wednesday, when the Travis County District Attorney dropped trespassing charges against dozens of protesters arrested in a similar demonstration on campus, it appears the people arrested on Monday will face charges.
Still, the protest organizers here urged people to contact County Attorney Delia Garza and ask her not to prosecute.
The UT protesters, like many at universities across the country, are upset at Israel for the 30,000 civilian deaths in Gaza. Among their demands, is for UT to stop investing in companies that aid the Israeli Defense Forces.
“People say that it’s so many miles away but it’s deeply personal to so many here,” Heilrayne added.
She said she is missing classes to participate in the protest but claims the cause is worth it to her.
“It will always be worth it,” she said.
Back on campus Tuesday afternoon, there was an interesting dichotomy: students taking graduation photos in the fountain, celebrating the end of school, while a few yards away on the South Mall, 50 – 75 protesters gathered quietly to discuss the human impact of the war in Gaza.
A small group of Jewish students, part of the Longhorn Students For Israel, walked up as a counter-presence
“We’re in the middle of finals and so many of my friends are staying in our dorms or staying off campus. It’s hard to walk past events like this and have people call for your destruction,” said Barri Seitz, 19, a UT freshman from Atlanta, Georgia.
As a Jewish student, she said being on campus “is completely different than it was two weeks ago. Friends say, 'where are you? Are you by the tower? You should really go to the library and around.'”
Still, both groups managed to coexist peacefully on this day, which is a welcome calm from the recent unrest.
Tuesday, UT System Board of Regents chairman Kevin Eltife issued a statement on the protests, saying "any attempt to shut down or disrupt UT operations will not be tolerated."