Backlash against Texas governor after he sends troopers on horseback into Gaza protest on campus

‘These protesters belong in jail,’ said Texas Governor Greg Abbott

Texas governor Greg Abbott has been accused of going too far with crackdowns on college pro-Palestine protesters.

Up to 100 state troopers, including some on horseback, were called in to stop demonstrations at the University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday.

Students are demanding that the college divest from manufacturers supplying weapons to Israel, a call that’s been echoed on campuses nationwide. Universities from New York to California have staged similar pro-Palestine demonstrations in recent days.

“Arrests being made right now & will continue until the crowd disperses. These protesters belong in jail,” Republican Governor Abbott, posted on X.

Dozens of people were arrested at the protest that had been organised by the university’s Palestinian Solidarity Committee.

Cally, a former UT student, faces off with a mounted state trooper at a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Austin (Austin American-Statesman)

One photographer covering the demonstration for TV station, Fox 7 Austin, was in the push-and-pull when an officer yanked him backwards to the ground, video shows.

The station later confirmed that the photographer had been arrested. A journalist was also knocked down in the mayhem and could be seen bleeding before police helped him to medical staff.

The reaction to the protest was met with harsh criticism from Democrats in the state.

“Today, Greg Abbott’s [Department of Public Safety] has more courage to arrest peaceful student protesters than when an active shooter entered an elementary school in Uvalde,” state Democrats said on Wednesday.

“Gov. Abbott is taking a very political opportunity to enforce his agenda, a very right-wing agenda focused on control, not on governance,” Chelsea Collier, a doctoral student at the school of information and a native Texan who spent her entire academic career at UT, told The Washington Post.

Texas state troopers cracked down on protests at UT at Austin on Wednesday on the order of Governor Greg Abbot (Austin American-Statesman)

On Thursday the Travis County Attorney’s Office announced that those arrested at Wednesday’s demonstrations would not be facing charges at this time. All those detained have been ordered released due to “deficiencies in probable cause”, ABC reported.

Roughly half the demonstrators arrested at the school were not affiliated with the institution, according to administrators.

A statement from UT Austin said that the original protest had “sought to follow the playbook” of the “national campaign to paralyze the operations of universities across the country”.

“Like at each of those universities, and confirming our serious concern, there was significant participation by outside groups present on our campus yesterday. This outside group presence is what we’ve seen from the affiliated national organization’s efforts to disrupt and create disorder,” the statement read.

“Roughly half (26) of the 55 people who violated Institutional Rules and were ultimately arrested were unaffiliated with The University of Texas.

UT at Austin later said that around half of those arrested during campus protests on Wednesday were not affiliated with the university (Reuters)

“Thirteen pro-Palestinian free speech events have taken place at the University largely without incident since October. In contrast, this one in particular expressed an intent to disrupt the campus and directed participants to break Institutional Rules and occupy the University, consistent with national patterns."

The scenes in Texas come as unrest and violence sweeps campuses across the US. Shocking scenes played out in states including Georgia, where police used Tasers on restrained students and shot pepper balls at demonstrators at Emory University.

Cheryl Elliott, Emory University’s vice president for public safety, said the person on whom officers used a stun gun in a video that has subsequently gone viral online, did not appear to be affiliated with Emory.

“Based on current information, this individual is not a member of the Emory community,” Elliot said in an email shared with the Emory community, via ABC. “Due to the direct assault of officers, law enforcement released chemical irritants into the ground to assist with crowd control.”

Twenty-eight people were arrested during the incident, 20 of whom were affiliated with the university, according to Ms Elliot.

On Thursday, the University of Southern California announced that the main stage ceremony for its commencement ceremony on 10 May would no longer take place. It followed protests on Wednesday which were ultimately dispersed by riot police with rubber bullets.

The Independent has reached out to UT at Austin for comment.