UTD Called in 5 Different Policing Bodies to Dismantle ‘Gaza Liberation Plaza’ 

On Wednesday, the office of the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs at University of Texas at Dallas called in five policing bodies to retake ‘Gaza Liberation Plaza’ from students calling attention to the ongoing genocide in Palestine and demanding divestment from Israel. Along with university law enforcement, the Collin County Sheriff’s Department, Richardson Police, Allen Police, and Texas State Police arrived and arrested 21 people, including three members of faculty that were attempting to protect students from aggression. The encampment at Chess Plaza, which was established less than 12 hours before its raid at around 4 pm, was built in solidarity with the people of Gaza to demand that UTD divest from the State of Israel and corporations promoting and perpetuating occupation, including local arms manufacturers. Students for Justice in Palestine and Palestinian Youth Movement collaborated to organize the protest. Weapons dealers in North Texas are amongst a laundry list of arms manufacturers who provide Israel with the bombs that have been used to wipe out large numbers of Palestinian civilians. Local institutions like the City of Dallas and University of Texas make huge investments into these corporations directly, and into funds that rely heavily on the performance of...