AUSTIN, Texas — Protesters staged yet another rally on the main campus of the University of Texas near the iconic tower in a show of support of Hamas and Palestine on earlier this week. Unlike earlier protests, according to Seth Greenwald, a law student at the university, this group appears to consist primarily of professional protesters and fewer students than earlier demonstrations. In a video provided to Breitbart Texas by Greenwald, protesters locked arms, preparing for conflict with law enforcement officers nearby.
The video shows protesters chanting, “APD, KKK, IDF, they’re all the same!” The slogan is likely a reference to the arrest of nearly 60 protesters last Wednesday by the Austin Police Department (APD). The protesters were arrested after ignoring orders to disperse.
Several protesters were also arrested during Monday’s protest after ignoring orders to disperse. As reported by Breitbart Texas, Greenwald, who hopes to graduate in May from the University of Texas School of Law, is a fortunate survivor of the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. Greenwald described his experience in Israel during the horrible attack that claimed the lives of nearly 1,200 people in Israel. During a video interview, Greenwald told Breitbart Texas he was spat on twice and told to “go back to Poland” during a pro-Palestine demonstration on the university’s campus on Wednesday.
The protesters arriving at the campus on Monday were able to quickly set up the encampment before law enforcement officers in riot gear arrived. The protesters began chanting “Whose lawn? Our lawn!” repeatedly after setting up the camp and a perimeter of chained plastic tables to barricade the group and hold off Texas Department of Public Safety troopers staged nearby.
During last week’s protests, school officials noted roughly half of the pro-Palestine protesters were not students at the university. A day after nearly 60 protesters were arrested and charged with criminal trespassing, most of the criminal cases were dismissed for deficiencies in probable cause affidavits, according to Delia Garza, Travis County attorney.
The Palestine Solidarity Committee, a registered student group on campus and a chapter of the national Students for Justice in Palestine, organized last week’s protests. The university formally suspended the group on Friday for violating school policies regarding protests.
At least 79 people were arrested in Monday’s protest event at the University of Texas in Austin.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.