Texas cops arrest 79 at latest protest - while elite NYC university refuses to ... trends now
Police in Austin arrested 79 pro-Palestine protestors who set up an encampment at the University of Texas, using pepper spray and flash bangs to break up the crowds.
Law enforcement moved in on the encampment on the university's South Lawn before deploying the measures to disperse those that had gathered on Monday.
On Tuesday, Travis County jail confirmed that 79 people were arrested at the protests.
78 of those had been charged with criminal trespassing, while one person was charged with interfering with public duties.
Officers in riot gear encircled the roughly 100 sitting protestors before they started dragging and carrying them away.
While police in Texas quickly dealt with the protest, protests at Columbia University have continued with a building at the campus now taken over by protestors.
Law enforcement moved in on the encampment on the university's South Lawn before deploying the measures to disperse those that had gathered on Monday
On Tuesday, Travis County jail confirmed that 79 poeple were arrested at the protests
A state trooper pepper sprays pro-Palestinian protesters following the demonstration on Monday
The protest on Monday was an escalation on the 53,000-student campus in the state capital where more than 50 protestors were arrested last week.
The university said in a statement that many protestors were not affiliated with the school and that encampments are prohibited on campus.
The school also said that some demonstrators were 'physically and verbally combative' with university staff.
At Columbia, protestors stormed and occupied Hamilton Hall on the main campus of the Manhattan university after smashing their way into the school.
The occupation came nearly 12 hours after the deadline of 2pm on Monday for protestors to leave their protest encampment or face suspension.
Due to the takeover, the school issued a stay away notice for members of staff telling them to avoid the Morningside campus on Tuesday morning.
They've since limited access to students residing in residential buildings on campus and essential employees only.
According to the Columbia Spectator, the group who made it inside threw their belongings aside before they started barricading themselves inside.
Outdoor furniture and ropes secure the front entrance of Hamilton Hall, which student protesters barricaded
Demonstrators begin building a barricade inside of Hamilton Hall
University President Nemat Minouche Shafik said in a statement that days of negotiations between student organizers and academic leaders had failed to persuade demonstrators to remove the dozens of tents set up to express opposition to Israel's war in Gaza
