DALLAS — Students at the University of Texas at Dallas set up a pro-Palestinian encampment early Wednesday morning, but around 4 p.m. police showed up in riot gear and began arresting students.
Immediately after law enforcement showed up at the University of Texas at Dallas, the school issued a statement saying, “All tents and structures must be removed immediately. Failure to comply with this directive will result in trespassing or other violations of state law and/or sanctions. A notice was posted stating that it may be removed. Where appropriate, this will be based on the Student Code of Conduct. ”
The University of Texas at Dallas is one of dozens of college campuses across the country where encampments and protests against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have been seen.
The University of Texas at Dallas chapter of the national student activist group Students for Justice in Palestine posted on Instagram that students began setting up tents in Chess Plaza around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The group calls the area Gaza Liberation Plaza and demands that the university divest from companies funding the Israeli military. Specific companies mentioned by the group include Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman and Boeing.
“We reject that universities are complicit in profiting from genocide,” the post reads. “UTD/UTIMCO [University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company] Defunding those who profit from war will free Palestine. ”
The students are also calling on Dallas Tech to issue a public statement calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Members of the group said in a video that university officials contacted some protesters and threatened to expel them or call in state troopers to break up the camp.
This is not the first protest at the University of Texas at Dallas in recent weeks. On April 23, about 100 students occupied the administration building for several hours as part of a sit-in, followed by subsequent demonstrations across campus.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have occurred at other UT campuses across Texas in recent days, including San Antonio, Arlington, and the university’s flagship campus, UT Austin.
On Monday, 79 people were arrested at the University of Texas at Austin as protesters tried to set up encampment. According to university officials, 45 of the 79 people arrested were not students. Another protest was scheduled for Wednesday, but was postponed to May 5.
In San Antonio, UTSA students are planning a rally on campus Wednesday at 1 p.m. to protest the UT administration’s response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations across campus.
Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Dallas are also planning a walkout at noon Thursday, similar to others planned across the country.
