Texas' largest newspaper, the Houston Chronicle, rebuked Governor Greg Abbott on Sunday in an editorial for his "posturing" over a recent pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin.
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, 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.
Large crowds gathered at the UT Austin campus on Wednesday to protest 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, in response to the protest at UT Austin, dozens of local and state police were seen arriving at the campus and blocking the march. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), more than 30 arrests had been made by law enforcement on the UT campus.
Since the arrests, Abbott has come under fire for his response to the protest, including sending in Texas' DPS. A Texas DPS spokesperson previously told Newsweek that it responded to the protest at the direction of Abbott "in order to prevent any unlawful assembly and to support UT Police in maintaining the peace by arresting anyone engaging in any sort of criminal activity, including criminal trespass."
Critics say demonstrators are "antisemitic" or promoting "antisemitism," saying that the pro-Palestinian movements on campuses make Jewish students feel unsafe. While chants and actions that many view as antisemitic have occurred at some of these protests, many demonstrators say they are merely calling for a ceasefire and the end to the killing of Palestinians.
In an op-ed published by the Chronicle on Sunday titled, "'Understanding and nuance' at UT protests? Not when Greg Abbott has a say," the newspaper's editorial board criticized Abbott's actions and response, calling it "posturing."
"So far, they have been largely peaceful, but, as at UTAustin, they've been big enough for opportunists, most of them elected officials like Abbott, to jump in with provocative language and posturing," the Chronicle's editorial board wrote.
It added: "This week's impassioned assembly, though, was big enough for an edgy university president, at the behest of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to sic the cops on the demonstrators. There were no reported signs of violence before authorities armed with batons intervened, handcuffing students and pushing protesters back."
Amid the protest, Abbott took to X, formerly Twitter, where he wrote on Wednesday that anyone participating in the protest "belongs in jail."
"Arrests being made right now & will continue until the crowd disperses. These protesters belong in jail. Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period," the Republican governor posted. "Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled."
Newsweek has reached out to Abbott's office via email for comment.
While the Chronicle wrote that universities and authorities should investigate real threats of antisemitism, it also warned that that it's dangerous for politicians to respond to protests.
"Of course antisemitism can't be tolerated. School authorities at UT and everywhere else must investigate anyone making real threats. They should be ever vigilant, making sure that legitimate protest does not devolve into violence or intimidation against Jewish students. That being said, it's dangerous for politicians or anyone else to conflate true antisemitism, which is strictly the prejudice against or hatred of Jewish people, with protests against the Israeli government and its policies," the newspaper's editorial board added.
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Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. Her focus is reporting on education, social justice ... Read more
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