The University of Texas in Austin has suspended a pro-Hamas student organization after a series of raucous protests that were held on its campus. The move comes after law enforcement cracked down on several demonstrations taking place in Texas universities.
Read: WATCH: Texas DPS Shows Up at a Pro-Hamas ‘Encampment,’ and Beautiful Chaos Follows
The Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC), in a post on Instagram, explained that it was suspended after the protest, characterizing the move as “an attack on free speech to distract from ad enable israel’s [sic] genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people.”
While [President of University of Texas at Austin] Jay Hartzell and Greg Abbot authorized Texas State Troopers, Austin Police, and UT police to violently attack and arrest protesters on campus, Palestinians continue to live in a state of emergency that UT refuses to recognize.
The organization also stated that “as the number of Palestinians killed by Israel has surpassed 34,000, the university has repeatedly changed protest policies and been deliberately vague about these changes, and committed to violently dispersing protests in their campaign of intimidation and brutalization of our student body.”
The 34,000 number, reported by a Hamas-aligned medical organization, has been heavily disputed.
The group concluded by vowing that it “will not be silent” and that “it is imperative that we act, and with urgency” and called on the school to “divest from Israeli apartheid.”
University officials said the suspension was handed down because the group “violated institutional rules”:
A university spokesperson told CBS Austin the interim suspension came as a result of PSC allegedly violating institutional rules based on student conduct and integrity. The suspension means the organization will not be able to host any on-campus events, reserve rooms, and work with faculty, the outlet reported.
This development comes amid a series of nationwide protests on college campuses. Pro-Hamas activists have disrupted traffic, built encampments on the premises, and even engaged in violence to advocate against Israel’s effort to eliminate terrorist group Hamas. In many cases, the leadership of these universities has had trouble addressing the issue, as well as the rise of antisemitism on their campuses.
However, in Texas, the protesters have been met with resistance as Department of Public Safety officers have shown up to stop the individuals who are causing disruption.
