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According to a Texas prosecutor overseeing the cases related to protestors who were arrested at the University of Texas (Austin), charges will not be filed against the students involved. 

Travis County Attorney Delia Garza announced that after reviewing 46 trespassing cases from a pro-Palestinian protest at the university, no sufficient grounds were found to proceed with the charges. He said, “We individually reviewed each case that was presented and agreed there were deficiencies in the probable cause affidavits.”

The decision follows a larger pattern of demonstrations across the US, ignited by a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” initiated by Columbia University students. The protests have escalated into widespread calls for US universities to divest from Israeli interests and for the end of US military aid to Israel. The UT protest was part of these national demonstrations, which have seen increasing participation from students and faculty across numerous college campuses.

The response to the protests has varied significantly, with some viewing the demonstrations as problematic. Texas Governor Greg Abbott labeled the actions “antisemitic.” Others have said the demonstrations are covered under the constitution, which guarantees the right to free speech and the right to protest. 

This comes after a group of UT professors criticized the university’s decision to involve law enforcement in clearing out a protest on the campus earlier this week, arguing that the group was peaceful until police wearing riot gear arrived. In their letter, they wrote, “We have witnessed police punching a female student, knocking over a legal observer, dragging a student over a chain link fence, and violently arresting students simply for standing at the front of the crowd.”