The Texas governor wrote on social media on Monday that „arrests are being made.“
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a new warning to pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin on Monday.
College students in recent weeks have been at the forefront of pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protests since the Israel-Hamas war began. On October 7, 2023, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, led its deadliest attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest airstrikes against Gaza. At least 1,200 Israelis were killed in the attack, while more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, per the Gaza Health Ministry, according to the Associated Press.
Protesters have also called for a lasting ceasefire amid the rising death toll in Gaza, particularly among civilians.
On Monday, protesters gathered at UT Austin’s campus to set up an encampment in protest of the ongoing war and demand that the college divest from businesses affiliated with Israel as it follows similar protests that have occurred at Columbia University in New York City and elsewhere. However, the protesters were met with Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers for the second time in five days after last week’s protest prompted a similar response.
