COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — UT Dallas protesters, including students and staff members, were released from the Collin County Jail Thursday after being held overnight.
And, as the last of 21 arraigned on charges of criminal trespass were released, they vowed that the protests on campus will continue anyway.
In a statement to WFAA, UTD said in part "UT Dallas has learned that of the 21 people arrested for criminal trespass on our campus Wednesday, nine were not currently affiliated with the University."
Crowds gathered throughout the day at the covered breezeway between the jail and the sheriff’s office. With bullhorns and drums, they promised to continue their vocal defense of those arrested. They used chalk to write pro-Palestinian, anti-police and anti-UTD messages on the sidewalks and walls leading to the jail.
Ali Asgar Alibhai, an assistant professor at UTD, was among the first released midday Thursday. He raised a peace sign in the air and then joined the crowd in defiant chants as he and other protesters were set free.
Among the last released was computer science student Mousa Najjar, a senior at UTD active in the Students for Justice in Palestine organization on campus.
“We make sacrifices for the Palestinian cause regardless,” he said when asked if his detention overnight in jail was worth the trouble. He said he had never been arrested before. “People in Gaza are sacrificing their own lives for this to liberate Palestine. This is the least we can do for our people.”
UTD's Friday statement went on to say:
"On Wednesday, demonstrators brought barricades including tires and wooden pallets, and installed tents and other structures on the Chess Plaza area. As the day progressed, more people joined the protest and the encampment expanded into walkways. The group was asked to remove barriers and structures. It was only after they refused to do so — and being fully aware of the consequences of that refusal — that UT Dallas and local and state law enforcement entered the area. We will continue to support and safeguard the free speech and assembly rights of everyone on our campus provided they follow campus policies."
UTD said that it continues to support and welcome the exercise of free speech on campus: but encampments and blocking walkways are not.
Meanwhile, as the last of the protesters were released from jail, organizers of the on-campus protests vowed that they would continue as early as Friday as they demand the university divest of any companies that might contribute weaponry to the Israeli military.