AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters were back on the University of Texas Campus on Thursday, but the mood was much different with much fewer law enforcement present.
KXAN spoke with both pro-Palestine students who were at the protest and pro-Israel students.
“I am protesting what is happening in Gaza, a lot of people are dying,” said Sarah, a pro-Palestine UT student.
“The sentiment towards Israel and Jews, it is really negative,” said Jeremy, a Jewish student at UT.
Jeremy said he was concerned by some of the things he heard as we walked around the protest Wednesday.
“I was walking around the protest [Wednesday] with an Israeli flag being called a Nazi and to me I think that is absurd, I think that is crazy,” said Jeremy.
Gov. Greg Abbott sent this message out on X, formerly Twitter, during the protest.
“Arrests being made right now & will continue until the crowd disperses. These protesters belong in jail. Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period. Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled.”
“Kudos to Governor Abbott for really doing a great job to stop this antisemitisim,” said Tyler, a Jewish student at UT. “Of course I think there is antisemitsim, they are saying it to our faces they are putting it on signs.”
A group of pro-Palestine protesters KXAN spoke to said they showed up to protest the war in Palestine and to raise awareness about all the civilians being killed.
“In terms of Hamas we have no control over that, most of the pro Palestinian people I have ever talked to, all of them I have ever talked to, do not condone killings of any sorts,” said Yasemin, a UT student who is pro-Palestine.
“I don’t like the people saying this is antisemitic because it is not,” said Sarah, a pro-Palestine UT student. “There is nothing to do with religion here. It is just about supporting humans and this is a war crime and this is not something we should just glance over.”
According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance the working definition of antisemitism is “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
“I am concerned, continuing, about some of the antisemitic slurs that have occurred and some of the similar fears Muslim students have had,” said Congressman Lloyd Doggett. “I don’t tolerate antisemitism either. I have a long record of that, nor do I tolerate Islamophobia, both are as wrong as racism, but it’s wrong for Governor Abbott to attack these students as being Hamas supporters as he did.”
Doggett said he hopes to continue conversations with both sides moving forward.
“It is possible to disagree and disagree strongly, as I certainly do with the right wing Netanyahu government and its policies without being antisemitic,” Doggett said.