Over half of the people arrested Monday at a University of Texas at Austin pro-Palestinian demonstration had no campus ties, according to UT and campus officials.

A university statement Tuesday stated 79 people were arrested, and 45 of them had “no affiliation with UT Austin.” It’s not clear what charges they’re facing.

“These numbers validate our concern that much of the disruption on campus over the past week has been orchestrated by people from outside the University, including groups with ties to escalating protests at other universities around the country,” a statement noted.

Following a nationwide trend of protests on college campuses, two large demonstrations have taken place on UT Austin’s campus in the last week, one Monday and another April 24, as people have rallied to protest the war in Gaza and demand the university system divest from weapon manufacturers. Concerns have been raised among free-speech advocates as dozens of state troopers have made arrests on campus.

On Monday, demonstrators began setting up an encampment on the South Lawn before campus police issued an order to disperse.

Officials say weapons, including guns, buckets of large rocks, bricks, steel-enforced wood planks, mallets and chains, have been confiscated from protesters. Officials allege that staff have been physically assaulted and threatened, and “police have been headbutted and hit with horse excrement, while their police cars have had tires slashed with knives.”

Officials believe these actions are orchestrated and led by people outside the university. They noted in the statement they will continue “to safeguard the free speech and assembly rights of everyone on our campus, while we protect our university and students who are preparing for their final exams.”

Kevin Eltife, chairman of the UT System’s Board of Regents, said in his own statement Wednesday that “any attempt to shut down or disrupt UT operations will not be tolerated.” He said free speech is violated when it includes threats to campus safety and security “or refusal to comply with institutional policies and laws.”

Eltife said he has been working with UT Austin President Jay Hartzell and that officials will not “acquiesce” on decisions to protect the campus community. The chairman added that officials will continue to call upon the state’s Department of Public Safety when needed.

Gov. Greg Abbott posted on social media last week that “students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled.” The governor issued an executive order in March aimed at fighting what his office called an increase in antisemitism at Texas’ colleges and universities.

A post from DPS last week noted state troopers responded to the campus April 24 at the request of Abbott. Those arrested last week faced charges of criminal trespassing, but Travis County prosecutors declined the charges. The Palestine Solidarity Committee was suspended for allegedly violating university rules, according to a UT spokesperson.

Nationwide demonstrations have taken place since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing an estimated 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostage. In the months that have followed, Israel has bombed the Gaza Strip in retaliation, killing over 34,000 people, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in West Bank. The Dallas Morning News cannot independently verify these numbers.

Last week, about 100 students at UT Dallas occupied the administration building for several hours also calling for officials to pull university investments from companies supplying weapons to the conflict in Gaza.

HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston Bearkats will look to put an end to a four-game skid on Tuesday night when they head to Austin to battle the Texas Longhorns at Disch-Falk Field.

Midweek Preview: at Texas Sam Houston (24-20, 7-11 CUSA) at Texas (27-18, 13-8 Big 12) Disch-Falk Field (Austin) Tuesday, April 30 | 6:30 PM | Longhorn Network

Projected Starters

SHSU: LHP Gavi Coldiron (3-4, 5.52 ERA, 45.2 IP, 30 K, 11 BB)

TEXAS: RHP Charlie Hurley (3-0, 6.67 ERA, 29.2 IP, 25 K, 19 BB)

Tuesday’s game on the Longhorn Network with Keith Moreland and Greg Swindell on the call.

SERIES NOTES vs TEXAS – The Kats have dropped 10 games in a row to the Longhorns dating back through the 2016 season and are just 4-30 in Sam Houston’s Division I era (since 1987)

– The last time Sam Houston got a win over Texas was on April 14, 2015 when Alex Bisacca and Jordan Church combined to shut out Texas by a 5-0 count. That season was the first year after David Pierce’s departure from Huntsville for Tulane, with current SHSU head coach Jay Sirianni in the Bearkat dugout in his first year as pitching coach.

– Of the 34 games played in the SHSU Division I era between the schools, 30 have been played at Disch-Falk Field. Two have also been played at Minute Maid Park, and two in Huntsville.

BEARKAT QUICK HITTERS – The Kats are coming off a tough week with a loss at Baylor and a sweep at the hands of Louisiana Tech, all on the road.

– In Sam Houston’s series at LA Tech, the Kats lost the 3 games by only a combined 6 runs. Half of that total came in Sunday’s series finale on a walk-off, 3-run homer by LA Tech’s Adarius Myers in the 10th inning.

– Jeffrey David enters Tuesday with a team-best, 15-game hitting streak and has reached in 19 games overall. It is the second-longest hit streak by a Kat this year, only behind the 23-gamer put together by Walker Janek to open the season.

– Tuesday will mark the final true road midweek game of the year for Sam Houston, with only a neutral-site clash with Houston at Constellation Field in Sugar Land on May 14 remaining.

– Sam Houston will be searching for its first road midweek win of the year on Tuesday at Texas. Currently the Kats are 0-6 in road midweeks, while being 6-0 in midweek games played at Don Sanders Stadium in Huntsville.

A LOOK AT THE LONGHORNS – The Longhorns have won five of their last six games, including each of their last two weekend series over TCU and most recently Oklahoma. – Texas swept both ends of a Sunday doubleheader to capture its series against the Sooners, pulling to within two games of OU in the Big 12 standings. – Texas had dropped consecutive midweek games at Disch-Falk Field to Texas State and UTRGV before shutting out UT Arlington a week ago.

Copyright 2024 KBTX. All rights reserved.

Comedian Chelsea Handler has once again expanded her Little Big Bitch Tour, which started in 2023, to multiple cities across the U.S. in 2024, including an ACL Live date at the Moody Theater in Austin on Sunday, November 17.

The expansion will see Handler add 18 more cities to the ongoing tour, with dates starting in July and running through the end of the year. In addition to Austin, Handler will also perform in Sugar Land on November 15 and Dallas on November 16.

The tour gives fans a retrospective look at what made her the person and comedian she is today. It is a follow-up to the saucily-named Vaccinated & Horny Tour in 2021 and 2022, her return to standup after a six-year hiatus.

That tour was taped for Handler’s latest special, Revolution, which was released on Netflix in December 2022.

Handler has had the bulk of her success in the 21st century, hosting The Chelsea Handler Show in 2006 and 2007, and then Chelsea Lately from 2007 to 2014.

She has also written six New York Times best-selling books, most recently Life Will Be the Death of Me in 2019, and currently hosts the advice podcast, Dear Chelsea. Additionally, she has hosted the Critics’ Choice Awards in 2023 and 2024.

Ticket presales for the new dates go on sale starting on Wednesday, May 1 ahead of the general on-sale on Friday, May 3 at 10 am. Fans will be able to purchase tickets to the new and previously announced dates at LiveNation.com.

CHELSEA HANDLER 2024 LITTLE BIG BITCH TOUR DATES

• Fri May 24 | Prior Lake, MN | Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
• Fri Jul 19 | Kahului, HI | Castle Theater
• Sat Jul 20 | Honolulu, HI | Hawaii Theater
• Sun Jul 28 | Hollywood, FL | Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood
• Fri Aug 02 | Santa Rosa, CA | Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
• Sat Aug 10 | Atlantic City, NJ | Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena (w/ Matteo Lane)
• Fri Sep 13 | North Charleston, SC | North Charleston Performing Arts Center
• Sat Sep 14 | Charlotte, NC | Ovens Auditorium
• Thu Oct 24 | Peoria, IL | Peoria Civic Theater
• Fri Oct 25 | Indianapolis, IN | Murat Theatre @ Old National Centre
• Sat Oct 26 | St. Louis, MO | Stifel Theatre
• Fri Nov 08 | Brooklyn, NY | Kings Theatre
• Sat Nov 09 | Bethlehem, PA | Wind Creek Event Center
• Sun Nov 10 | Philadelphia, PA | The Met Philadelphia Presented by Highmark
• Fri Nov 15 | Houston, TX | Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
• Sat Nov 16 | Dallas, TX | Music Hall at Fair Park
• Sun Nov 17 | Austin, TX | ACL Live – Moody Theater
• Sat Nov 23 | Montclair, NJ | The Wellmont Theater
• Thu Dec 05 | Des Moines, IA | Des Moines Civic Center
• Fri Dec 06 | Omaha, NE | Holland Performing Arts Center
• Sat Dec 28 | New Orleans, LA | Mahalia Jackson Theatre of Performing Arts
• Sun Dec 29 | Atlanta, GA | Cobb Energy PAC