UT-Dallas students stage pro-Palestinian encampment on May Day. What to know
Students at the University of Texas at Dallas early Wednesday staged an encampment on campus, the latest in a series of pro-Palestinian demonstrations at colleges and universities across the United States.
UT-Dallas students had previously hosted several protests and rallies without incident or arrest. The encampment Wednesday follows similar demonstrations at UT-Austin and several other notable schools, including Columbia University and the University of Southern California, which have led to the arrest of hundreds of individuals combined.
In Austin, 79 protesters were arrested Monday during a demonstration after dozens of people briefly set up an encampment on the campus’ South Mall. With chants of "Free Palestine," protesters formed the surprise encampment, setting up tents and creating a barrier around the site using foldable tables, some of which were chained together. Police broke up the camp and removed the tents and tables.
What is encampment?
Encampment protests occur when demonstrators build temporary communities on a campus and occupy the areas as a form of political resistance. The communities typically consist of tents and other shelters in which students congregate, organize protests and sleep.
UT-Dallas students set up barricades and tents on campus in the Chess Plaza, which they referred to as the Gaza Liberation Plaza, according to a news release from the Students for Justice in Palestine.
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Why are college students protesting on the UT-Dallas campus?
Amid the Israel-Hamas war, in which more than 30,000 people have reportedly been killed in Gaza, the UT-Dallas' Students for Justice in Palestine chapter organized the protest in solidarity with students nationwide who have been urging their universities to divest from businesses tied to Israel — including Raytheon and Lockheed Martin — and are calling on the federal government to stop financially backing Israel's military operations.
What is a pro-Palestine protest? Here's why U.S. college students are protesting
Protest encampments are occurring across at least 20 U.S. campuses
Hundreds of protesters have been arrested across the U.S. since April 18, when demonstrators staged an encampment at Columbia University in New York City.
Protests, rallies, and encampments have since surged across the nation's higher education institutions. Protesters have faced arrest at more than 20 campuses across 16 states, but several other schools have had protests with no arrests.
Before Wednesday, UT was the only campus in Texas and its immediately bordering states to have had an encampment set up. Though other universities in the state, including Texas A&M, UT-Dallas, Texas Tech University and the University of North Texas have had pro-Palestinian rallies.
What is May Day?
May Day, also known as International Workers' Day, is observed annually on May 1 and is a day of commemoration and protest for workers' rights. In many countries, including the United States, May Day is marked by demonstrations, rallies and protests advocating for labor rights, social justice and various political causes.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Dallas students stage pro-Palestinian encampment on May Day: What to know
