AUSTIN, Texas — Two people have been arrested after a statewide pro-Palestinian protest and rally was held outside the Texas Capitol on Sunday, according to an attorney representing the protesters.
Sunday's protest follows a string of protests and mounting tension at the University of Texas at Austin amid the Israel-Hamas war.
As the protests began, officers with the Austin Police Department (APD) and troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) lined the Capitol grounds as a precaution.
APD said the protest was largely peaceful. It started outside of Capitol grounds due to protesters not being allowed in and then morphed into a march across parts of the downtown area where demonstrators were closely guided by DPS troopers and APD officers.
There was also a massive presence of troopers situated outside of Gov. Greg Abbott's mansion.
However, once protesters made their loop back to the front of the Capitol is when things took a sharp turn.
At one point, protesters had stopped marching. Once APD made an announcement for the group to continue on, chants started and arrests were made.
One person was captured on video being detained.
Attorney George Lobb confirmed to KVUE that two people were arrested, prompting protesters to relocate to the Travis County Jail after leaving the Capitol. Lobb said one of those arrested was taken into custody for allegedly operating a drone over the Capitol. The other was arrested for failure to obey a lawful order and resisting arrest.
Stacey Monroe with the Dallas Anti-War Committee reiterated the message of pro-Palestine supporters calling for a ceasefire and demanding universities across the country to divest from companies that are contributing to the Israel-Hamas War.
"We're no longer going to continue to allow our government to keep funding it both financially, academically,” Monroe said. "We're going to continue to protest and call for the full and total liberation of Palestine and the return of all Palestinians to their land."
On Saturday, plans for the protests were rearranged following a memo from DPS, stating that the Capitol grounds, where the protest was initially scheduled to take place, would be temporary closed until Monday at 7 a.m. due to the impending event.
The memo, which was addressed to legislative staff, cited safety concerns and stated that because they were expecting a large crowd, DPS “determined the closure of Capitol grounds is necessary to protect the safety and security of persons and property within the complex.”
Ahead of the closures, which began Saturday evening, DPS already had parking meters covered with “No Parking” signs along West 11th Street and in the back of the Capitol just along Colorado Street.
Pro-Palestine protests had been held at the Capitol in recent months with no issues, including one with thousands of attendees in November 2023.
Palestinian groups that organized the event stated in a release that the purpose for Sunday’s protest was to mark the 76th anniversary of "Nakba," which translates to “catastrophe” in Arabic. The anniversary commemorates when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, according to the United Nations.
Niveen Abdelwahed, who is an organizer with the Palestine Youth Movement, called the closure of the grounds a sign of repression.
“At the end of the day, what's been made clear is that the people stand with Palestine and the masses stand with Palestine, and the response by the state is a response that shows that they are afraid of the power that the people hold in calling for a liberated Palestine,” said Abdelwahed.
On Saturday, organizers of the event said that despite the setback, the protest would still proceed.
“It's important for us to make sure that, again, our voices are heard and that we don't back down, and we're able to commemorate this day and we're able to continue to demand a ceasefire,” Abdelwahed said.