The encampment was set up Wednesday morning in the UT Dallas Chess Plaza. The students are seeking a response to the group’s demands from the administration.
RICHARDSON, Texas — Tensions are high as law enforcement is removing pro-Palenstine protesters on the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) campus in Richardson Wednesday afternoon.
The Richardson Police Department confirmed to WFAA that arrests have been made but how many people are in custody is unclear.
WFAA’s Chopper 8 was flying above where mangled tents and barricades were set up in UTD’s Chess Plaza, which the protestors are referring to as the “Gaza Liberation Plaza,” according to a press release from Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
The Texas Department of Public Safety, Richardson PD, Dallas PD, and the Collin County Sheriff’s Department are on the scene assisting with the protest.
The same group previously staged a 10-hour sit-in Tuesday, April 23 in a wing of UTD’s administration building.
The group is calling on UTD administration to divest from companies linked to Israel and the war in Gaza, including defense contractors Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.
This is the first encampment at a North Texas university but not the first protest. University of North Texas students staged a protest without incident Tuesday. Meanwhile in Austin, police moved in on University of Texas protesters Monday who were attempting to set up an encampment on the South Mall.
After last Tuesday’s sit-in, UT Dallas President Richard Benson agreed to meet Friday to discuss student’s demands. The meeting ended as representatives from SJP walked out after delivering a letter containing the student’s demands, according to the release.
Beyond divesting from corporations linked to Israel and the war, the students demanded UTD reject a recent executive order signed by Gov. Greg Abbott that the group says targets pro-Palestinian protestors and release a public statement calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
This is a developing story. WFAA will update this story as additional information becomes available.