UT Austin Palestine rally: Dozens wait outside Travis County Jail for protesters arrested
AUSTIN, Texas - Dozens stood outside the Travis County Jail for hours, waiting for those that were detained during the "Occupy the Lawn" protest at the University of Texas.
"The fact that they are holding people at all for as long as they are going to be is ridiculous. I mean they are arresting people left and right every ninety seconds," said Palestine Solidarity Committee member Abdelmajid. "These are students who are using their First Amendment right to speak up for what they care about and to talk about the things that they want to talk about on campus."
FOX 7 Austin was livestreaming the protest when our photographer says he was pushed by someone in the crowd.
In the footage, you can see the camera drop to the ground.
There are several videos posted to social media showing the FOX 7 photographer with his camera on his shoulder getting pulled to the ground by a state trooper, and losing all of his gear.
The state troopers begin to use zip ties to arrest him and several protesters.
"Every 90 seconds, they are just grabbing random students out of the crowd, throwing them in a truck, arresting them," a protester said.
CONTINUING COVERAGE
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- University of Texas Palestine protest leads to more than 20 arrests, including FOX 7 photographer
Pro-Palestine supporters waited outside the jail to hear the charges the protesters that were detained may be facing.
"We plan on staying here until they release people. That could be tonight, that could be tomorrow, that could be Sunday, that could be a week from now," Abdelmajid said. "We will have people outside this jailhouse. Until people are released, we will have people on UT campus protesting."
The Palestine Solidarity Committee created a plan for those that may need assistance.
"We are setting up a support group for people who are trying to get out, trying to organize with the national lawyers' guild, we are doing everything we can to ensure that these people are released," Abdelmajid said.