UT Austin Students Sue Over Arrests, Disciplinary Action From Pro-Palestinian Protest

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott condemned the protest and called in state police to disperse the campus encampment.
UT Austin Students Sue Over Arrests, Disciplinary Action From Pro-Palestinian Protest
Texas University policemen arrest a pro-Palestinian protestor at the University of Texas in Austin on April 29, 2024. Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images
Bill Pan
Bill Pan
Reporter
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Four current and former students at the University of Texas–Austin are suing the university and the state over their arrests and disciplinary actions stemming from pro-Palestinian protests on campus last year.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, alleges violations of the students’ First Amendment rights when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, with the approval of UT Austin President Jay Hartzell, called in state police to dismantle a protest encampment in April 2024.