UT Austin Protest: Texas DPS Troopers In Riot Gear Deployed To Clear Encampment| VIDEO

Amidst heightened tensions, University of Texas at Austin Police took action on Monday (April 29), issuing a dispersal order as pro-Palestine demonstrators congregated on the South Mall, establishing an encampment. Subsequently, reports emerged of Texas DPS Troopers entering the vicinity in riot gear and dismantling the encampment.

At roughly 1:30 pm CT, Texas DPS Troopers and additional law enforcement personnel descended upon the campus, erecting police barriers. Prior to this, UTPD had already dispatched a dispersal order shortly after 1 pm CT. The directive came in response to protesters assembling with pro-Palestine signs and encircling tents they had erected.

According to several users on X, the police has started making arrests and several people have reportedly being detained. Videos of police aking arrests were also shared widely on social media.

The protests at UT Austin started with a student-led walkout on April 24 (Wednesday). They demanded the university sever ties with manufacturers providing weaponry to Israel. What started as a peaceful demonstration spiraled into chaos as police, donning riot gear and mounted on horses, intervened to scatter the protesters. It culminated in the arrest of 57 individuals.

“In Greg Abbott’s police state troopers march through pro-Palestine students at the University of Texas. I’ve never seen such a surge in police force against protesters ever in my lifetime. The foreign lobby seems to be dictating domestic policy now,” one user wrote on X.

“I fully support @GovAbbott and his decisions to keep the colleges and universities safe in Texas. He is doing the right thing protecting the students regardless of race, religion, gender, etc,” another said.

“Time to withdraw all money and funds to the terrorist supporting Universities these #WokeKids don’t even know what they’re protesting @UCLA @UOCuniversity1 @UniversityOfTexas @Harvard @Columbia,” wrote one user.