A local photographer was one of the people taken into custody during a protest at UT.

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.

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.”

The protest then continued, but it was cleared from its originally planned area on the south lawn.

Shortly, after 6 p.m., law enforcement left the area after dispersing crowds. However,

Protesters in support of Gaza were still at the UT campus Wednesday night. However, KXAN reporter Grace Reader said it had calmed down significantly. Still, dozens of people were seen on the lawn Wednesday night, and most law enforcement was gone.

After the arrests by law enforcement, KXAN reporter Nabil Ramadna spoke with a local defense attorney about First Amendment rights after the UT protest in support of Gaza escalated to multiple arrests.

A public defender told Ramadna the number of arrests could be well above 50. However, at this time, DPS only reported 34 arrests.

UT president releases statement

Later in the evening Wednesday, UT President Jay Hartzell released the following statement in response to the UT protest.

Dear UT community,
This has been a challenging day for many. We have witnessed much activity we normally do not experience on our campus, and there is understandably a lot of emotion surrounding these events.

Today, our University held firm, enforcing our rules while protecting the Constitutional right to free speech. Peaceful protests within our rules are acceptable. Breaking our rules and policies and disrupting others’ ability to learn are not allowed. The group that led this protest stated it was going to violate Institutional Rules. Our rules matter, and they will be enforced. Our University will not be occupied.

The protesters tried to deliver on their stated intent to occupy campus. People not affiliated with UT joined them, and many ignored University officials’ continual pleas for restraint and to immediately disperse. The University did as we said we would do in the face of prohibited actions. We were prepared, with the necessary support to maintain campus operations and ensure the safety, well-being and learning environment for our more than 50,000 students.

We are grateful for the countless staff members and state and University law enforcement officers, as well as support personnel who exercised extraordinary restraint in the face of a difficult situation that is playing out at universities across the country. There is a way to exercise freedom of speech and civil discourse, and our Office of the Dean of Students has continued to offer ways to ensure protests can happen within the rules. The University of Texas will continue to take necessary steps so that all our University functions proceed without interruption.
Sincerely yours,

Jay Hartzell
President