Muslim Civil Rights Group MLFA Calls Out Texas Governor’s Double Standard On Free Speech As He Orders Brutal Crackdown on College Campuses
Attorney Christina Jump says Greg Abbott seemed to support white extremist speakers in the past but has reversed his position when it comes to peaceful Palestinian supporters advocating for human rights in Gaza
Students calling for a boycott of Israel in protest against its genocidal actions in Gaza at the University of Texas at Austin’s (UT) campus today were met with city police and state troopers in riot gear, resulting in the arrest of more than 50 people, including two members of the press.
The disturbing move was ordered by Governor Gregg Abbott who posted on X saying, “These protesters belong in jail. Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period.” However, Abbott's double standards on free speech on campuses is now being called out.
Muslim Legal Fund of America's (MLFA) Civil Litigation Department Head, Christina A. Jump points out how Abbott’s views on free speech have shifted from 2019 when he criticized a college for dis-inviting a speaker due to concerns about his ties to white supremacy.
That year the Texas legislature passed, and Greg Abbott signed into law, a new statute guaranteeing First Amendment rights on all campuses within Texas, whether public or private. The bill states that all open areas are designated for free speech and large peaceful assemblies. Institutions then developed guidelines to comply.
However, in an about-turn in March of this year, Abbott signed an Executive Order targeting the Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), calling on college administrators to discipline or expel them.
Jump, whose non-profit is representing Harvard students in a discrimination complaint against Palestinian-supporting students, accuses Abbott of a "free speech time lapse. She points out that once again its student speech that advocates for human rights of Palestinians that is being targeted.
More than 500 students walked out of class yesterday to demand UT-Austin divest from manufacturers supplying Israel weapons in its strikes on Gaza. Although there were no signs of violence, law enforcement ordered protestors to separate and warned them they would be arrested for trespassing.
UT does not manage its own investments; those are handled by the University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company, which oversees investments for the University of Texas and Texas A&M systems.
The PSC, the registered student organization and chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine organized Wednesday's walkout to take over the South Lawn by the UT Tower. They also called for its president, Hartzell's resignation and complete amnesty for student protesters and members of the PSC.
After the brutal crackdown, UT’s Faculty Council Executive Committee released a response to the police and military on campus saying they condemn the administration's decision to deploy law enforcement and emphasized the lack of violence or aggression from students who planned the day-long sit-in where study sessions and pizza were promised.
“Instead of allowing our students to go ahead with their peaceful planned action, our leaders turned our campus into a militarized zone,” said the statement. “There can be no business as usual when our campus is occupied by city police and state troopers who are preventing our students from engaging in a peaceful demonstration of their First Amendment rights.”
Despite no reported violence by protesters, fifty-seven people were booked into the Travis County Jail in connection to the protest, Travis County sheriff's office spokesperson Kristen Dark said this morning.
A FOX 7 Austin photojournalist who was arrested while taking footage of Wednesday's protest was released from the Travis County Jail on Thursday morning, FOX 7 reporter Jessica Rivera said on X.
While the National Guard was not deployed to the UT campus, the Texas Military Department said this could happen in the future.
"While the Texas National Guard was aware and prepared to respond to the protests at UT yesterday, no soldiers were dispatched to the campus during the event," the department said in an unsigned statement to Austin-American Statesmen. "DPS and law enforcement partners did not require assistance. The Texas National Guard is prepared to respond if requested."
