Over 100 Pro-Palestinian Protesters Arrested at USC, University of Texas

At least 127 people were arrested on Wednesday during pro-Palestinian protests at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles and the University of Texas (UT) at Austin.

The Context

Students demonstrating against the ongoing Israeli military operation in Gaza have established several protest camps at universities across the United States.

A protest encampment was formed at Columbia University on April 17 and attracted national attention when police moved in and made 100 arrests in an operation which failed to remove the camp. Similar encampments have since been formed by students at other universities including New York University, Yale and Harvard.

On October 7, 2023, a surprise Hamas attack on southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, with several hundred more taken into Gaza as hostages. In response, Israel launched an air and ground campaign in Gaza which has killed 34,000 people, according to the territory's Hamas controlled health ministry.

What We Know

On Wednesday, students at USC and UT attempted to set up tent-based protest encampments at their respective institutions following the example set at Columbia and other universities. Police moved in at both campuses in a bid to prevent this during which they made a significant number of arrests.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "93 arrests for 602 (O) PC [trespass]. No reports of any injuries. Patrols will remain in the area through tomorrow."

At around 11 p.m. PDT the official USC X account posted: "The protest on the UPC [University Park Campus] has ended. However, the campus remains closed until further notice. Students, faculty, staff, and people with business on campus may enter with proper identification."

The Texas Department of Public Safety said: "As of 9 p.m. [CT], 34 arrests have been made by law enforcement on the UT Austin campus related to today's protest."

However, according to The Austin American-Statesman, citing an attorney with the Austin Lawyers Guild, 54 people were arrested and taken to Travis County Jail after being arrested for their role in the UT protests. The paper reports 20 of these had been booked into the facility by 8 p.m. CT, according to a Travis County sheriff's office spokesperson.

Those arrested reportedly included a Fox 7 Austin cameraman who was detained whilst livestreaming the demonstration. Libbi Farrow, a Fox 7 anchor and producer, shared a video of the incident, adding: "Here's another video of my @fox7austin colleague getting brought down to the ground before he was arrested. He can be seen in the navy shirt with the camera on his shoulder and a Live U on his back."

Newsweek contacted the Texas Department of Public Safety press office by email at around 3 a.m. ET on Thursday. This article will be updated if they decide to comment.

Views

Texas Governor Greg Abbott shared footage of police moving in on demonstrators at UT on X, adding: "Arrests being made right now & will continue until the crowd disperses.

"These protesters belong in jail. Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period. Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled."

Texas Observer reporter Steven Monacelli shared Abbott's post, adding: "I've seen no credible reporting of actual antisemitic incidents at the UT Austin protest. What I can tell you is that I've reported on numerous neo-Nazi events and Greg Abbott never once tried to put any of them in jail."

On X, some commentators accused authorities of being heavy handed whilst others praised them for attempting to prevent the formation of permanent encampments.

British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan commented: "With all the arrests and crackdowns in Austin, TX, today, a reminder that conservatives revel in authoritarianism and that those liberal media folks who indulged the idea all these years that conservatives cared about free speech or were against cancel culture were naive fools."

However, House Republican Elise Stefanik backed Abbott, writing: "This is what leadership looks like. Instead of letting the antisemitic pro-Hamas mob take over, Greg Abbott is taking action and sending a clear message."

What's Next?

Israel has been constructing tent based encampments in southern Gaza ahead of a possible assault on Rafah, the last city in the territory under Hamas control where over a million people are believed to be sheltering.

A Gallup survey conducted in March found 55 percent of Americans disapproved of Israel's conduct during the ongoing conflict whilst 36 percent expressed approval.