Protest of Texas students over Gaza conflict enters second week

Protests in support of Palestinians in the Gaza conflict at the University of Texas Austin (UT Austin), United States, have been in their second week, while student encampments in other U.S. universities, including the University of Connecticut, Yale University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, have been cleared out.

The arrests of 79 demonstrators on Monday stemmed from a protest at the University of Texas Austin campus, resulting in 78 individuals charged with criminal trespass and one with obstructing a roadway. Before any of these individuals are released from the Travis County jail, though, they have to go before a judge, which has been unclear how quickly that process is going to happen.

According to the organizers of Monday's demonstration, the Palestine Solidarity Committee, a registered student group, a number of protesters were injured when they were arrested on Monday and were not given immediate medical attention or offered food and water for hours.

The Travis County Sheriff's Office said every person that is booked in the facility has been given a mental and health screening and then they are triaged according to the severity of their needs.

Some hours after the dramatic confrontations between police and demonstrators at the UT Austin campus, demonstrators reoccupied the south lawn of the campus, as they vowed to stay put until their demands are met.

On the following day of Tuesday, there were roughly about 75 to 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators that have camped out outside the Travis County jail. They have been chanting for the release of the individuals that have been arrested and for all the charges to be dropped.

And also, these demonstrators outside the Travis County jail witnessed the first person released from jail. When that individual came up, he threw his hands up into the air and sat down, and then a group of other demonstrators came and surrounded him, huddled in around him and protected him, talking to him about his experience over these past 24 hours.

The university last week placed the Palestine Solidarity Committee on interim suspension, as at least 57 people were arrested during last week's protest at the UT Austin campus. The committee said on Monday that it was not involved in organizing the event but is supportive of the protesters.

All charges against the 57 protesters arrested last week have been dropped, the Travis County attorney's office confirmed last Friday.

In another Texas city of Houston, a number of students at Rice University and the University of Houston also joined the nationwide efforts involving students in pro-Palestinian protests on Wednesday.

From Texas to California, pro-Palestinian demonstrations are spreading on campuses across the United States as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Gaza continues. To date, hundreds have been arrested by police amid student protests.

Protest of Texas students over Gaza conflict enters second week

Protest of Texas students over Gaza conflict enters second week

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' separatist activities are self-deceptive attempts, and they will not hinder the unstoppable trend toward China's reunification, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

Recently, Taiwan's "foreign affairs department" issued a statement protesting the mainland's condemnation over the Taiwan authorities' bribery of Guatemalan leaders and officials in exchange for political support.

Commenting on that at a regular press conference in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said, "The facts and evidence on DPP authorities' 'dollar diplomacy' with Guatemala are clear and solid. Guatemala's former president openly admitted that he had received bribery from the Taiwan authorities in exchange for maintaining so-called 'diplomatic relations' with Taiwan. Last year, Taiwan's hospital project in Guatemala was involved in a corruption case. Relevant Guatemalan officials were put into jail. This is just one example of the Taiwan authorities' 'dollar diplomacy.' No matter how angrily they protest or try to deny it, the fact that they sought political support through 'dollar diplomacy' will not change."

"Around the world, 183 countries have established diplomatic ties with China. That proves the DPP authorities' reckless pursuit of 'Taiwan independence' and secession to be futile and self-deceptive. Whatever the DPP authorities does, it will not shake the one-China principle, and will not hinder the unstoppable trend toward China's reunification. We hope that Guatemala and the very few other countries will come to recognize where the trend leads and make the right decision soon," he continued.

DPP authorities' secession attempts futile, self-deceptive: spokesman