The demonstrations escalated when university officials, with support from local and state law enforcement, intervened to disperse protestors, leading to multiple arrests and sparking criticism over the suppression of free speech on campus.

[13] The University quickly increased security around Jewish organizations in the West Campus neighborhood, where a mural near the Texas Hillel had been vandalized by graffiti, fueling fears of antisemitic activity.

[15]On October 12, three men attempted to disrupt an educational event at Welch Hall held by the university's chapter of the Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC), having previously sent a threatening message to the organization's Instagram page.

[17] The following day, university president Jay Hartzell released a statement decrying "violence" and "vandalism," but did not mention either the incident at Welch Hall nor the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by name.

[21] Further controversy ensued later in the month with the removal of two teaching assistants, Callie Kennedy and Parham Daghighi, who at the behest of a student had crafted a letter with professor Lauren Gulbas recommending mental health services in relation to the conflict and criticizing the university's silence on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

[34] Although the APD announced an increase in West Campus patrols, a second hate crime occurred on April 5, when a student in Muslim garb was attacked verbally and physically by three men near the Dobie Center.

[45] This action led to the arrest of 57 protesters and several more detained, including a photojournalist who was reportedly being caught in a scuffle between law enforcement and students for Fox 7 Austin.

[53] Following the arrests, a Travis County attorney stated, "It is not the role of the criminal justice system... to assist our governor in efforts to suppress nonviolent and peaceful demonstrations.

[58] The deployment of police forces and the arrests prompted criticism and raised concerns about free speech on campus, which had been praised by Abbott and the university in prior years.

"[61] On April 25, 2024, more than 1,000 students, faculty, and staff protested outside of the Main Building calling for President Hartzell's resignation, along with the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors circulating a petition for an official motion of no-confidence against him.

[62][63] Within 72 hours, more than 500 professors and instructors, around 13% of all faculty, had already signed the petition, including several department chairs, such as Diana Marculescu, and a dean for the College of Liberal Arts.

[65] An separate group of 165 faculty, including Steve Vladeck, also signed an open letter condemning President Hartzell's actions for quelling free speech and endangering the campus community.

[71] Travis County Attorney Delia Garza further stated that the way that the university handled the protests put a strain on the local criminal justice system, specifically reprimanding the sending of protestors to jail for low-level charges.