Local photographer among dozens arrested at UT protest

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A local photographer is among those arrested amid protests at the University of Texas at Austin Wednesday.

The protest organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee of Austin began just before noon with a walkout of class and a march to "occupy" the South Lawn, according to a social media post. It said it planned to demand the administration divest, or withdraw its investments from Israel.

As of 5 p.m., the Texas Department of Public Safety said more than 20 arrests were made by law enforcement on the UT campus.

It told protesters to "bring blankets, food and water, face masks and lots of energy. As a reminder please be sure to respect our space and listen to organizers in order to help keep us all safe." A follow-up post outlined a schedule for the day including guest speakers, study breaks and an art workshop that was supposed to be scheduled for 7 p.m.

Around 12:30 p.m. University of Texas Police Department officers and DPS troopers gave a warning to the crowd to disperse.

The UT Division of Student Affairs issued the following statement hours after the protest began and law enforcement started working to clear the area: “UT Austin does not tolerate disruptions of campus activities or operations like we have seen at other campuses. This is an important time in our semester with students finishing classes and studying for finals and we will act first and foremost to allow those critical functions to proceed without interruption.”

Shortly before 5:30 p.m., UT Police Assistant Chief Ashley Griffin issued a dispersal order to those still present. The statement was read over campus loudspeakers.

In a statement to KXAN, DPS said it responded to the UT campus "at the request of the University and at the direction of Texas Governor Greg 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."

While the agency said it would not discuss "operational specifics," it said it will continue adjusting operations to assist law enforcement, as well as "maintain the public's safety."