{
  "id": "2024-04-24-university-of-texas-austin-protest",
  "slug": "university-of-texas-austin-protest-2024-04-24",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Texas at Austin",
    "shortName": "UT Austin",
    "state": "TX",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "Longhorn Alert",
    "enrollment": 52000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-04-24",
    "endDate": "2024-04-29",
    "type": "civil-unrest",
    "cleryCategory": "advisory",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Demonstration dispersed by police in riot gear; all 57 arrest charges later dropped",
    "headlinePublic": "Demonstration dispersed by police in riot gear; all 57 arrest charges later dropped",
    "summary": "On April 24, 2024, over 500 University of Texas at Austin students walked out of class and gathered on the South Mall to demand the university divest from companies tied to Israel. The university [deployed state troopers in riot gear and mounted police](https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/24/ut-austin-israel-hamas-war-palestine-student-arrests/) to disperse the crowd, arresting 57 people after UTPD's 5:23 PM CDT dispersal order. The Travis County attorney [dropped 46 of the 57 charges the following day](https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/25/ut-austin-palestinian-arrests-criminal-cases/) and the remaining 11 on April 26, citing lack of probable cause.",
    "outcome": "All 57 criminal trespass charges from April 24 were dropped within 48 hours — 46 dismissed on April 25 and 11 more on April 26 — with the Travis County Attorney's office citing lack of probable cause. A second protest on April 29 led to 79 additional arrests after protesters set up tents and clashed with officers who used pepper spray and stun grenades. Multiple lawsuits were filed against the university alleging civil rights violations.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "follow-up",
      "timestampApprox": "Evening of April 24, 2024, presidential letter to the campus community sent the night of the arrests",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "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. 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.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://news.utexas.edu/2024/05/03/frequently-asked-questions-about-recent-protests/",
      "sourceDescription": "President Jay Hartzell's letter to the UT Austin campus community, April 24, 2024",
      "annotations": [
        "President Jay Hartzell sent this message to the UT Austin community the evening of April 24, 2024, within hours of the arrests on the South Mall",
        "The closing line 'Our University will not be occupied' became the most-cited phrase from any Texas public-university administrator during the spring 2024 protest wave",
        "More than 600 UT faculty signed a no-confidence letter in Hartzell within days of this statement; Hartzell left UT in summer 2024 to lead Southern Methodist University"
      ],
      "characterCount": 765
    }
  ],
  "context": "On April 24, 2024, the Palestinian Solidarity Committee at UT Austin organized a walkout and sit-in on the [South Mall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_University_of_Texas_at_Austin_pro-Palestinian_campus_protests) to protest the Israel-Hamas War and demand university divestment. The university had warned the day before that the event could not proceed as planned. When students gathered, [state troopers, Austin Police, and mounted officers in riot gear moved to disperse the crowd](https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/24/ut-austin-israel-hamas-war-palestine-student-arrests/), arresting 57 people on criminal trespass charges. The [Travis County attorney dropped all charges](https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/25/ut-austin-palestinian-arrests-criminal-cases/) within 24 hours, finding that law enforcement lacked probable cause. A second protest on [April 29 saw 79 additional arrests](https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/29/university-texas-pro-palestinian-protest-arrest/) after protesters set up tents on campus. Officers deployed pepper spray and stun grenades during the confrontation. The UT faculty subsequently held a [no-confidence vote](https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/25/ut-austin-palestine-protest-fallout/) in university president Jay Hartzell. In May 2025, four students [filed a federal lawsuit](https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/01/university-texas-arrests-palestinian-protests-lawsuit/) alleging their arrests violated their First and Fourth Amendment rights.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "All 57 charges from the first day of protests were dropped within 48 hours by the Travis County attorney citing lack of probable cause — 46 dismissed April 25, the remaining 11 dismissed April 26, 2024",
    "The use of mounted police and riot gear against student protesters drew national attention and faculty backlash",
    "A total of 136 arrests occurred across two days of protests at UT Austin in late April 2024"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "2024 University of Texas at Austin pro-Palestinian campus protests (Wikipedia)",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_University_of_Texas_at_Austin_pro-Palestinian_campus_protests",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "title": "Frequently Asked Questions About Recent Protests (UT Austin News, Office of the President)",
      "url": "https://news.utexas.edu/2024/05/03/frequently-asked-questions-about-recent-protests/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Police arrest pro-Palestinian demonstrators at UT-Austin (Texas Tribune)",
      "url": "https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/24/ut-austin-israel-hamas-war-palestine-student-arrests/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "All pro-Palestinian demonstrators' UT-Austin cases dropped (Texas Tribune)",
      "url": "https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/25/ut-austin-palestinian-arrests-criminal-cases/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "More pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested at UT-Austin (Texas Tribune)",
      "url": "https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/29/university-texas-pro-palestinian-protest-arrest/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Police arrest multiple protesters during pro-Palestinian demonstration at UT Austin (KUT Radio)",
      "url": "https://www.kut.org/education/2024-04-24/ut-austin-palestine-gaza-israel-protest-students",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "civil-unrest",
    "protest",
    "pro-palestinian",
    "mass-arrest",
    "riot-gear",
    "pepper-spray",
    "texas",
    "public-university",
    "charges-dropped"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}