UT Austin: Horse-backed state troopers arrest 'at least 50' at University of Texas' pro-Palestine protest after wild clashes as coast to coast campus chaos continues

State troopers person arrested astatine slightest 50 pro-Palestinian protesters astatine the University of Texas, Austin, connected Wednesday pursuing chaotic clashes connected campus, arsenic students crossed the state effort to unit world institutions to divest from Israel. 

Hundreds of troopers, equipped with riot shields and batons, were seen scuffling with pro-Palestine protesters, and the Lone Star authorities was forced to nonstop successful mounted officers to power the increasing chaos astatine the protest, which was hosted by the Palestine Solidarity Committee, a registered pupil radical and a section of the nationalist Students for Justice successful Palestine.

The PSC section astatine UT Austin said connected Instagram: 'UT medication has called connected authorities troopers successful an effort to scare america into silence.'

They added: 'get these pics disconnected our campus.' Texas Department of Public Safety officers were besides seen successful horses and riot cogwheel astatine the protest, which died down astatine 6pm section time, six hours aft it began, but was reignited aft a assemblage of them returned to the campus' South Lawn and person stayed determination arsenic of 7:45pm, section media reported. 

As of 9pm, 34 radical were arrested, but this greeting it was revealed that an further 20 person been arrested arsenic well. 

The university's module appeared to beryllium lasting down the students. Pavithra Vasudevan, a prof astatine UT, told the American-Statesman that the arrests laic astatine the feet of the university's administrators. 

She said: 'The president and assemblage medication chose to militarize our field successful effect … to students gathering to explicit themselves.'

The adjunct prof of women's & gender studies and African & African Diaspora studies said module members had planned a rally for Thursday astir cuts to staffing and survey programs nether a Texan instrumentality that banned diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives astatine nationalist universities. 

She said she was 'motivated by students' courage', and added that the university's effect to the protests was 'repressive.'

Vasudevan added that it was cardinal for her and different unit members astatine the assemblage to talk out: 'We cannot proceed with concern arsenic usual.'

In a connection Wednesday night, the university's president, Jay Hartzell, said: 'Our rules matter, and they volition beryllium enforced. Our University volition not beryllium occupied.' 

Officials with the Dean of Students Office said connected Tuesday successful a missive to the organisers of the protestation that though the assemblage supports escaped speech, its archetypal precedence is to 'protect our acquisition mission.'

'Simply put, the University of Texas astatine Austin volition not let this field to beryllium 'taken' and protestors to derail our ngo successful ways that groups affiliated with your nationalist enactment person accomplished elsewhere,' the missive read. 

Other University of Texas campuses besides saw pro-Palestine protests instrumentality place, but nary were arsenic chaotic arsenic the 1 astatine Austin. 

Meanwhile, campuses crossed America person seen pro-Palestine protestors clash with constabulary and Jewish counter-protesters, with furious demonstrators spotted astatine USC, Harvard, UC Berkeley, Brown and NYU. 

While grappling with increasing protests from seashore to coast, schools person the added unit of May commencement ceremonies. At Columbia University successful New York, students defiantly erected an encampment wherever galore are acceptable to postgraduate successful beforehand of families successful conscionable a fewer weeks.

Columbia continued to negociate with students aft respective failed attempts - and implicit 100 arrests - to wide the encampment, but respective universities ousted demonstrators connected Wednesday, swiftly turning to instrumentality enforcement erstwhile protests bubbled up connected their campuses.

Tensions were already precocious astatine the University of Southern California aft the assemblage canceled a planned commencement code by the school's valedictorian, who publically supports Palestine, citing information concerns. After scuffles with constabulary aboriginal Wednesday, a fewer twelve demonstrators lasting successful a ellipse with locked arms were detained 1 by 1 without incidental aboriginal successful the evening.

Officers encircled the dwindling radical sitting successful defiance of an earlier informing to disperse oregon beryllium arrested. Beyond the constabulary line, hundreds of onlookers watched arsenic helicopters buzzed overhead. The schoolhouse closed the campus.

North of USC, students astatine California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, were barricaded wrong a gathering for a 3rd day, and the schoolhouse unopen down field done the play and made classes virtual.

Harvard University successful Massachusetts had sought to enactment up of protests this week by limiting entree to Harvard Yard and requiring support for tents and tables. That didn't halt protesters from mounting up a campy with 14 tents connected Wednesday pursuing a rally against the university's suspension of the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee.

Students protesting the Israel-Hamas warfare are demanding schools chopped fiscal ties to Israel and divest from companies enabling its monthslong conflict. Some Jewish students accidental the protests person veered into antisemitism and made them acrophobic to acceptable ft connected field arsenic graduation nears, partially prompting a heavier manus from universities.

At New York University this week, constabulary said 133 protesters were taken into custody, portion implicit 40 protesters were arrested Monday astatine an encampment astatine Yale University.

Columbia University averted different confrontation betwixt students and constabulary earlier Wednesday. University President Minouche Shafik had acceptable connected Tuesday a midnight deadline to scope an statement connected clearing an encampment, but the schoolhouse extended negotiations for different 48 hours.

On a sojourn to field Wednesday, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, called connected Shafik to resign 'if she cannot bring bid to this chaos.'

'If this is not contained rapidly and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, determination is an due clip for the National Guard,' helium said.

On Wednesday evening, a Columbia spokesperson said rumors that the assemblage had threatened to bring successful the National Guard were unfounded. 'Our absorption is to reconstruct order, and if we tin get determination done dialogue, we will,' said Ben Chang, Columbia's vice president for communications.

Columbia postgraduate pupil Omer Lubaton Granot, who enactment up pictures of Israeli hostages adjacent the encampment, said helium wanted to punctual radical that determination were much than 100 hostages inactive being held by Hamas.

'I spot each the radical down maine advocating for quality rights,' helium said. 'I don't deliberation they person 1 connection to accidental astir the information that radical their age, that were kidnapped from their homes oregon from a euphony festival successful Israel, are held by a panic organization.' 

University President Minouche Shafik had acceptable a midnight deadline to scope an statement connected clearing an encampment of protesters connected field but the schoolhouse extended negotiations, saying it was making 'important progress.'

Student protesters had committed to dismantling and removing a important fig of tents, the Ivy League assemblage said successful a statement.

On Wednesday morning, the encampment appeared calm and a small smaller than the erstwhile day.

Police archetypal tried to wide the encampment astatine Columbia past week, erstwhile they arrested much than 100 protesters. But the determination backfired, acting arsenic an inspiration for different students crossed the state to acceptable up akin encampments and motivating protesters astatine Columbia to regroup.

Meanwhile much than 40 protesters were arrested Monday astatine an encampment astatine Yale University. 

The upwelling of demonstrations has near universities struggling to equilibrium field information with escaped code rights. Many agelong tolerated the protests, but are present doling retired much heavy-handed discipline, citing information concerns.

Harvard instrumentality pupil Tala Alfoqaha, who is Palestinian, said she and different protesters privation much transparency from the university.

'My anticipation is that the Harvard medication listens to what its students person been asking for each year, which is divestment, disclosure and dropping immoderate benignant of charges against students,' she said.

On Wednesday astir 60 tents remained astatine the Columbia encampment, which appeared calm. Security remained choky astir campus, with recognition required and constabulary mounting up metallic barricades.

Columbia said it had agreed with protestation representatives that lone students would stay astatine the encampment and they would marque it welcoming, banning discriminatory oregon harassing language.

Elsewhere, astatine the University of Minnesota, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar attended a protestation precocious Tuesday, hours aft 9 protesters were arrested connected the field erstwhile constabulary took down an encampment successful beforehand of the library. Hundreds had rallied successful the day to request their release. 

Omar's girl was among the demonstrators arrested astatine Columbia past week. 

Students astatine immoderate protests were hiding their identities. At an encampment of astir 40 tents astatine the bosom of the University of Michigan's field successful Ann Arbor, astir each pupil wore a mask, which was handed to them erstwhile they entered.