Pro-Palestine protests at Rice and UH largely peaceful in wake of disturbances at other campuses

Student protests at the University of Houston and Rice University against the war in Gaza largely passed without incident this week as higher education institutions around the country grappled with ongoing demonstrations that have led to hundreds of arrests in Texas and around the U.S.

Rice and UH students began taking up spots on the Houston campuses this week to demand the universities divest from companies with ties to Israel. The efforts echo protests taking place across the country, most notably at Columbia University, the University of Southern California and the University of Texas at Austin. More than 500 students have been detained nationwide over the past week, according to the Washington Post.

Protesters, made up of students, faculty and staff working to stand in solidarity with Palestine, arrived each morning since Tuesday to settle on a patch of greenspace at Rice University called the “liberated zone,” said Anna Rajagopal, an organizer with Students for Justice in Palestine at Rice and a university alum. 

Daily itineraries, released on Instagram, have featured designated study hours, live music, speakers and film screenings under tents.

“We’re trying to access programming and education that isn’t readily available at universities,” Rajagopal said. “Our space is a de-occupation zone on the university to demonstrate that ivory tower is not the end-all-be-all and that the actual power lies with the students.”

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Rice administrators told students to leave the space, Rajagopal said, though, officials did not respond to questions about its interactions with student protesters. Student occupation of the liberated zone ended Friday as Rice nears the end of its semester.

The Houston Chronicle was not able to visit the liberated zone because a Rice spokesperson said the private institution was barring media on campus. In a written statement, the spokesperson said the assembly did not disrupt campus activities.

“While we honor personal expression and academic freedom, we must also maintain a safe campus for all students. Fortunately, the student organizers agreed to modify their original plans related to structures and sound levels to maintain an environment of respectful discourse,” according to the statement.

FALLOUT: Non-students who were cited for criminal trespass at Palestine rally barred from UT Austin campus

Labels become protest stickers

A few miles away at the University of Houston, dozens of students held space on steps during the day inside the Student Center South, with a host of snacks, literature and posters demanding the university divest money from companies with ties to Israel. The crowd size grew during the week into Thursday evening as a mass of students clapped along to chants. The group has since cleared out of the building.

Students brought markers to turn United States Postal Service address labels into pro-Palestine stickers along with a projector displaying a documentary.

“This reclamation of the student center is in response to the growing student movement across the nation,” said Frances Bolger, a student organizer at UH.

On Tuesday, University of Houston Police Department officers removed protesters that a spokesperson stated were trying to set up signage on the stairs of the Student Center South building and refused to stop. Bolger gave a different account.

“Multiple cops showed up and told the students they could not be holding the signs,” Bolger said. “Because they won’t let us hold posters, we have turned to making shirts. If they will not let us hold posters we will embody the signs. We will become the message.”

The next day, police removed two people, not associated with the university, who came into the student center and shouted in opposition of the students protesting for Palestine, the university said in a statement. 

The university pointed to Texas law limiting government agencies from partnering with companies that boycott Israel. 

“While we appreciate our students exercising their free speech on issues important to them, like the boycott, some of the demands made by protesting organizations are inconsistent with Texas law. These actions are not under consideration,” according to the statement. “Texas state agencies, including public universities, are forbidden from engaging in such boycotts or contracting with companies that do.” 

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Protests have emerged globally following the Oct. 7 attack when Hamas militants took more than 240 hostages and killed more than 1,200 people. Israeli Defense Force efforts have killed 34,000 people, mostly women and children, and wounded around 77,000 people since it launched its military offensive, stated the Gaza Health Ministry, an agency in the Hamas-run government, according to the Washington Post.

Protests at college campuses calling for divestment hit a turning point this month when more than 100 students were arrested at Columbia on April 18. More than 50 students were arrested at the University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday. Charges have since been dropped, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Local restaurants have donated food and drinks to Rice’s liberated zone during the course of the four-day effort, Rajagopal said. Rice's protesters set their last day for Friday.

“The entire Houston community is galvanized around the student movement right now. We have had people donating money, food, water, masks, supplies, chairs, tents, art supplies anything and everything you can think of,” Rajagopal said. “The community supports the student movement unifiedly on Rice’s campus.”