In an open letter addressed to President Jay Hartzell on Friday, 165 faculty members condemned  the University’s use of a “heavy police intervention” at Wednesday’s pro-Palestine protest and the UT regulations that “interfere” with the “rights of free speech and assembly.” 

The letter urged the University to not pursue criminal charges against those arrested and to not discipline community members involved in both the protest on Wednesday and a subsequent teach-in on Thursday. All of the charges against the 57 protesters arrested on Wednesday were dropped, according to Travis County. 

The 165 faculty members who signed the letter make up just 4.3% of the 3,837 total faculty at UT.

Multiple law enforcement bodies including state troopers, Austin Police Department and UTPD were present at Wednesday’s protest. In a Wednesday email, Hartzell claimed law enforcement “exercised extraordinary restraint.” The letter said this level of “aggressive and disruptive” presence is unprecedented and endangered the entire campus community. 

“Whether or not we agree with the content of the planned teach-in and protest, we are deeply committed to the rights of free speech and assembly of the University community,” the letter said. “We oppose University regulations that arbitrarily interfere with those rights and the use of a heavy police intervention, which increases the likelihood of harm and disruption to anyone on campus.”