Hundreds of troopers have marched on the University of Texas at Austin before scuffling with pro-Palestine protesters as demonstrations kicked off at campuses across the country.
Police arrested at least four activists – who burst out in tears when they were handcuffed – after warning them they could face criminal charges if they did not disperse.
The rally at the Austin campus was organized by the university’s Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSJ) chapter and quickly descended into anarchy.
The group said it was inspired by their ‘comrades’ at Yale and Columbia University, where in-person classes have been canceled due to the unrest sparked by ‘encampments for Gaza.’
It comes as pro-Gaza groups took to universities across the US and clashed with police and Jewish counter-protesters, with furious demonstrators spotted at USC, Harvard, UC Berkeley, Brown and NYU.
One of the protesters detained by Texas troopers is seen above
Police have arrested at least four demonstrators at UT Austin after warning them they could face criminal charges if they did not disperse
The rally at the Austin campus was organized by the university’s Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSJ) chapter
The protesters in Austin asked for ‘support’ on Instagram as riot police showed up on campus
USC Public Safety officer informs students that they must disperse on Wednesday
Pro-Palestinian supporters from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology rally at MIT at an encampment for Palestine at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts
The PSC chapter at UT Austin said on Instagram: ‘UT administration has called on state troopers in an attempt to scare us into silence.’
They added: ‘get these pics off our campus.’ Texas Department of Public Safety officers were also seen in horses and riot gear at the protest.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Texas Department of Public Safety for additional information. Several pro-Palestine demonstrators were seen sobbing as they watched police enter the scene.
Hundreds of Texas troopers went into the University of Texas at Austin campus to control a pro-Palestine student protest
Demonstrators at UT Austinwere seen sobbing as they watched police enter the scene
One of the protesters is seen as he was detained by police
The PSC chapter said on Instagram: ‘UT administration has called on state troopers in an attempt to scare us into silence’
They added: ‘get these pics off our campus’
The group said it was inspired by their ‘comrades’ at Rutgers, Yale and Columbia University
The over 200 protesters are demanding UT-Austin divest from any manufacturers supplying Israel with weapons aid the war against Hamas in Gaza.
They gathered at the university’s Gregory Gym and marched towards the South Lawn, where they planned to sit for the rest of the day.
One of the demonstrators arrested was one of the protest’s organizers, with an officer singling him out saying he would be the first to be arrested, according to the Tribune.
Also on Wednesday, police clashed with protesters at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Officials broke up a tent demonstration after students began camping out for Palestine after a call by USC’s Divest from Death Coalition and National Students for Justice in Palestine
Pro-Palestinian protesters set up a tent encampment in front of Sproul Hall on the UC Berkeley campus on Monday
Student sand community members support protesters who have locked themselves inside of Siemens Hall protesting in support of Pro-Palestinian at Cal Poly Humboldt on Tuesday
Officials broke up a tent demonstration after students began camping out for Palestine after a call by USC’s Divest from Death Coalition and National Students for Justice in Palestine.
It comes as the situation in Columbia University in New York City remained tense with campus officials saying it would continue talks with pro-Palestinian protesters for another 48 hours.
University President Minouche Shafik had set a midnight deadline to reach an agreement on clearing an encampment of protesters on campus but the school extended negotiations, saying it was making ‘important progress.’
Student protesters had committed to dismantling and removing a significant number of tents, the Ivy League university said in a statement.
On Wednesday morning, the encampment appeared calm and a little smaller than the previous day.
Student demonstrators occupy the pro-Palestinian ‘Gaza Solidarity Encampment’ on the West Lawn of Columbia University on April 24
An encampment protesting the genocide in Gaza, goes into its second day, on the grounds of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States on April 23
Tents stand in an encampment, where students are protesting in support of Palestinians at Emerson College on Wednesday
New York University (NYU) students and faculty participate in a protest against Israel at Washington Square Park on Tuesday
Police first tried to clear the encampment at Columbia last week, when they arrested more than 100 protesters. But the move backfired, acting as an inspiration for other students across the country to set up similar encampments and motivating protesters at Columbia to regroup.
Elsewhere, at the University of Minnesota, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar attended a protest late Tuesday, hours after nine protesters were arrested on the campus when police took down an encampment in front of the library. Hundreds had rallied in the afternoon to demand their release.
Omar’s daughter was among the demonstrators arrested at Columbia last week.
Students at some protests were hiding their identities. At an encampment of about 40 tents at the heart of the University of Michigan’s campus in Ann Arbor, almost every student wore a mask, which was handed to them when they entered.
Meanwhile more than 40 protesters were arrested Monday at an encampment at Yale University.
The upwelling of demonstrations has left universities struggling to balance campus safety with free speech rights. Many long tolerated the protests, but are now doling out more heavy-handed discipline, citing safety concerns.