Four current and former University of Texas students on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the college and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, alleging that they faced unlawful arrest and retaliatory discipline for demonstrating against Israel’s assault on Gaza.
The lawsuit is said to be among a wave of legal actions against US universities, law enforcement and state leaders over their handling of pro-Palestinian student protests that erupted in the Spring of 2024.
The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in San Antonio by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, ADC, on behalf of the students, accused UT Austin President Jay Hartzell, Abbott and law enforcement officers of intentionally suppressing pro-Palestinian speech at an April 24, 2024, campus protest.
According to the lawsuit, Abbott, with the consent of Hartzell, ordered state police in riot gear to carry out mass arrests, violating protesters’ First Amendment rights to assemble and express their opinions.
UT Austin spokesperson Mike Rosen, in response to the lawsuit, referred to statements the university made after the arrests, saying it acted to preserve campus safety, enforce protest rules, and that most arrests were of people from outside the university.
While Abbott’s office did not immediately make any comment on the issue, in a social media post during the arrests, Abbott said, “Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas.”;
Two students named in the suit said they wanted to protect others from the physical and mental harm they had suffered.
“It is reclaiming our narrative because we were treated as antisemitic criminals,”; said Arwyn Heilrayne, a second-year student, who experienced a panic attack after she was knocked to the ground by police and had her wrists tightly zip-tied.
She said she has since had to leave an internship at the state legislature and been diagnosed with PTSD as a result of her arrest.
On her part, Mia Cisco said suing the university took on a new urgency as she watched the Trump’s administration try to deport foreign students for their pro-Palestinian advocacy.
“It’s really vital and crucial right now to make sure that we say that it’s not okay,”; said Cisco, a third-year student, who had her hijab forcibly removed by police following her arrest.
