At several university campuses, including the University of Texas, protests originally claimed to advocate for Palestinian humanitarian rights have taken a concerning turn. Authorities report discovering materials and paraphernalia that suggest a radical shift from peaceful protest to the support of violence and extremism.
On April 29, police intervened at an encampment at the University of Texas in Austin. What they found after shutting the protest down was alarming. Among the items left behind were stacks of handouts that contained messages celebrating the harm to Israeli civilians and calling for the elimination of Israel. These documents were concealed within art supplies intended for distribution during the event.
Texas police drag unruly protester by their arms and legs and pin them to the ground as they make an arrest.
79 student activists were arrested after police forcibly dismantled the encampment and they refused to disperse at UT Austin. pic.twitter.com/fdfil4myZ0
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) April 30, 2024
One of the discovered documents praised the launching of over 2,300 rockets at Israeli settlements in the previous year. Another explicitly rejected the notion of peace or a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians, stating a goal to “liberate the land, from the river to the sea.” Such phrases have been widely criticized as calls for the eradication of Israel.
The materials included quotes from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an organization internationally recognized as a terrorist group. One chilling quote threatened, “We will emerge upon you from where you least expect it.”
Paul Edgar, a Middle Eastern cultures expert at the University of Texas, analyzed the materials. He described them as extreme, noting their explicit calls for violence against Israelis and their support for various extremist and terrorist groups such as the Lions’ Den, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization).
Additionally, some of the materials were linked to the “Resistance News Network,” an English-language Telegram channel known for its radical antisemitic content and promotion of groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Police have since discovered similar materials at other universities across the United States including Illinois, New York, and California.
Former Army Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, now a senior fellow at the Defense Priorities Foundation, commented on the situation, labeling the content as clear propaganda. He noted that such materials serve Hamas’s interests by attempting to normalize and rationalize their actions.
UT Austin encampment protesters hurl insults including “race traitor” at Black officer.
READ: https://t.co/k1iOTcKsVn#utaustin #texas #encampment #protests #viral #news #explorepage pic.twitter.com/hdgSOq4Bgf
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 1, 2024
In their searches, university officials found more than just inflammatory literature. At UT, they discovered weapons, chains, steel cables for barricading doors, and buckets filled with rocks and bricks potentially used for assaulting police officers. Of the 79 individuals arrested at the scene, 45 were found to have no affiliation with the university.
Wild scenes out of UC San Diego after law enforcement cleared the encampment on campus. Police had to use force to move people out of the way of law enforcement’s buses. pic.twitter.com/mOo3VezTLI
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) May 6, 2024
Similar discoveries were made at the University of California San Diego, where authorities found stakes, propane tanks, metal and plywood shields, aerosol spray cans, and even a sword, leading to a significant police response to shut down the encampment due to the “significant dangers” these items posed.
Police at UC San Diego today arrested 60+ pro-Palestine extremists who refused to disperse from their illegal encampment.
Some even tried to block the police bus.
These violent antisemites need to spend serious time in jail for their hate crimes.https://t.co/c8yN2maEjH
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) May 6, 2024
