A coalition of student groups from six campuses in San Antonio and San Marcos sent letters to their college presidents on Wednesday, calling on them to stand against Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent antisemitism executive order, which they said conflates supporting Palestinians with antisemitism.
They asked their university leaders to take a stand against the governor’s order on campus free speech, which said pro-Palestinian student groups should be punished for “antisemitic speech and acts.”
The letter San Antonio College (SAC) students sent to administrators said Abbott’s March order, Executive Order 44, also undermines academic freedom. That letter called on SAC to prepare a litigation team to defend student speech if necessary.
Students at San Antonio College delivered a letter calling on SAC leadership to stand against Gov Abbott's executive order on antisemitism on college campuses, saying they "unequivocally oppose antisemitism" but that the order conflates supporting Palestinians w/antisemitism. pic.twitter.com/ZDwifCgAPG
— Josh Peck - Texas Public Radio (@Joshua_Peck_) May 1, 2024
“That’s just an infringement of our free speech," said Chiya Orosco, a SAC student. "And we have a right to be able to protest against a genocide that is going on in Palestine.”
Israel — with the backing of the United States — strongly refutes that description of its war against Hamas in Gaza.
"Israel is a state actor, not a religion, and criticism of state actors – any state actors – is essential to a healthy democracy," said the students' letter hand delivered to SAC's Interim President Fransisco Solis.
"The rise of antisemitism in Texas can be traced to the many white nationalist groups that have made Texas their 'homebase,' and any meaningful attempts to combat this dangerous form of hate must focus on such groups," the letter said. "Governor Abbott’s order deflects attention and resources from the root cause of this pernicious problem."
The Alamo Colleges District said in a statement that it was "reviewing the Governor’s Executive Order to assess its impact on our organization as well as clarity on implementation."
It added that the "district, including our five colleges, remains dedicated to providing campus environments that are welcoming and safe for all individuals. We value diverse opinions and robust debate, but that expression must be conducted respectfully and in accordance with relevant laws, policies, and procedures including our student code of conduct."
Students and faculty at SAC chanted and flew kites at the campus after delivering their letter.
Protest against the war in Gaza and against TX Gov. Abbott’s executive order singling out pro-Palestinian student groups for what he considers antisemitic speech. @TPRNews pic.twitter.com/695WOOcndx
— Camille Phillips - Texas Public Radio (@cmpcamille) May 1, 2024
Students also delivered letters to the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), Trinity University, Texas A&M San Antonio (TAMUSA), Texas State University, and UT Health San Antonio.
About 20 people carried signs and the Palestinian flag as they delivered their letter to the office of TAMUSA President Hector Ochoa. He wasn’t available, but students and faculty spoke briefly and amicably to the provost.
Dylan Villalon with the student group Jags for Palestine said he disagreed with the Abbott's assertion that these protests sometimes cross the line into antisemitism.
"Not only are we protesting the furthering of the narrative that to be pro-Palestinian is to be antisemitic, which is objectively false," he said, "[b]ut, of course, we also are calling for the humanitarian aid — to stop the deaths in Gaza, to stop the innocent deaths, of course, in Israel as well."
Villalon said he recognized that public university leaders have been ordered by the governor — essentially their bosses’ boss — to update free speech policies. But he thought there was a way for those updates to be made without harming students — if they start a dialogue with students.
James Finley, the faculty advisor for Jags for Palestine, said he saw the governor’s order as part of a wider attack on higher education.
"It's an attack on public universities in Texas, which serve predominantly working-class students of color. And those students care about Palestine," he said.
Finley is also a member of his university’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which co-signed the letter.
"We know that university administrations push back against executive orders and legislation that undermines the university mission," he said. "They don't talk about it, but they do."
Finley said he thinks university leaders can comply with the governor’s order while also pushing back against the elements that undermine students’ academic freedom.
They've begun marching around the campus. Have seen a couple of bike cops but not much else. https://t.co/79dyjmz3ud pic.twitter.com/EFOKiH4Rdj
— Josh Peck - Texas Public Radio (@Joshua_Peck_) May 1, 2024
Texas State officials said they received the letter but had no further response to share. Trinity University said they were not providing a media response. None of the other institutions responded to TPR’s requests for comment.
Students held a similar but unrelated demonstration at UTSA's main campus. Dozens of students gathered under the large, covered plaza in front of the school library and expressed their support for Palestinians.
Abbott and university leaders have taken a heavy-handed approach to recent campus demonstrations. Abbott sent officers from the Department of Public Safety to confront student protestors at the University of Texas at Austin. He has also called for such students to be expelled.
College leaders have also threatened students with criminal trespassing charges, among other charges.
The demonstrations were held in solidarity with campus protests in Austin, New York and in other cities across the United States. Compared to those protests, San Antonio's campus protests have been smaller in scale and without any significant counterprotests.
The protests are part of the turmoil ignited on campuses throughout the U.S. since Israel began its offensive in Gaza.
That was in response to a Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which, according to the Israeli government, killed 1,200 people and saw 240 more taken hostage.
The Gaza Ministry of Health claims Israel's operation has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians.
