AUSTIN, Texas — More than 500 students on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin gathered this afternoon to participate in a protest to support Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war.

More than 20 protestors have been handcuffed and detained.

The protest, organized by the Palestinian Solidarity Committee of Austin, prompted students to walk out of class at 11:40 a.m.

After approximately 45 minutes of marching south from the Gregory Gym area, the Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and campus police instructed the protesters to disperse.

In an attempt to regroup, the student protesters assembled on the South Mall and set up a limited number of tents, only to be pushed onto the sidewalks by law enforcement.

Some protesters were detained by authorities who threatened students with criminal trespass charges if they didn’t disperse.

Governor Greg Abbott took to X to say, “Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled.”

Abbott issued an executive order this month, mandating schools to revise their free speech policies in response to a surge in antisemitic speech and acts on campuses.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.