Prosecutors drop nearly 80 arrests following pro-Palestinian protest at University of Texas

DALLAS (AP) — Nearly 80 criminal trespassing arrests stemming from a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas have been dropped, a prosecutor said Wednesday, with the latest dropping charges against demonstrators arrested on college campuses across the United States this spring.

Delia Garza, a Democrat who is Travis County's elected attorney, said 79 criminal trespassing cases that have been dismissed all stemmed from the April 29 demonstration. She said cases involving other offenses remained pending.

Garza said his office determined it could not meet the legal burden of proving the cases beyond a reasonable doubt. She said factors considered included whether the protesters' right to free speech had been violated, whether prosecutors had enough evidence to secure a conviction and whether pursuing the case was in the interests of justice.

On campuses across the United States This spring, protesters clashed over the War between Israel and Hamas. The Texas and other protests grew out of The first protests at Columbia University.

Last week, New York prosecutors announced that dozens of students from Colombia who were arrested for occupying a campus building as part of a pro-Palestinian demonstration, their criminal charges would be dropped. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office said it would not file charges against 31 of the 46 people initially arrested for trespassing inside the administration building.

On April 29 in UT, officers in riot gear surrounded about 100 seated protesters, dragging or carrying them one by one amid shouting. Another group of protesters pinned police and a van full of arrested people between buildings, creating a mass of bodies pushing and shoving each other. Officers used pepper spray and flash bangs to disperse the crowd.

The university said in a statement at the time that many protesters were not affiliated with the school and that encampments were prohibited on campus in the state capital. The school also claimed some protesters were “physically and verbally combative” with university staff, prompting authorities to call law enforcement. The Texas Department of Public Safety said the arrests were made at the request of the university and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Garza said she wished state and university leaders had sought “another solution to allow these students to express what they felt the need to say.” She added that the response to the protests showed that elected leaders “continue to prioritize extreme government intervention over actual public safety.”

In a statement, UT said the school was “deeply disappointed” by Garza's actions, adding that the school “will continue to use the law enforcement and administrative tools at our disposal to maintain safety and operational continuity for our 53,000 students who come to campus to learn, whether or not the criminal justice system shares this commitment.

“Free speech is welcome on our campus. Violating laws or rules is not,” the statement said. “Actions that violate laws and institutional rules should result in consequences, not political posturing and press conferences. »