Israel Block Party at University of Texas disrupted by agitators
Students attending an annual Israel block party at the University of Texas at Austin were met with disruptive anti-Israel protesters on Wednesday afternoon.
The Israel Block Party has been a tradition organized by Texas Hillel at UT Austin for 25 years.
According to its website, the event is the largest pro-Israel event on a college campus in North America and is meant to celebrate the culture, strength, resilience, and hope of Israel and the Israeli people.
Around 50 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered just feet away, many wearing masks and holding signs denouncing Israel. They chanted, "Israel is a terrorist state. There's nothing here to celebrate."
Jewish students told Fox News they felt afraid on their own campus.
"I think I really shouldn't have to, as a student, be scared to go to a party, a block party, on my campuses," Rebecca Katz, University of Texas freshman. "I honestly I was a little nervous to come to the Israeli block party because of the protests, but I think UT, security and Hillel have done a really good job of making everyone feel safe."
Blake Shanberg, a junior at the University of Texas, said the students were just trying to celebrate their culture.
"You'll see students on this campus are not trying to be hateful," Shanberg said. "We're just trying to enjoy and celebrate. And we're trying to show that there is a way to have valid peace. "
The anti-Israel protesters were also calling to free Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University student from Syria, who led massive protests on the Ivy League campus last year. Khalil is now held at an ice detention facility in Louisiana and is in the middle of a legal battle with the Trump administration who is pushing to get him deported.
Protests remained peaceful with campus police and staff on site monitoring both groups.
Last April, over 100 anti-Israel protesters were arrested on UT Austin campus and police had to use pepper spray to break up the massive crowds.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
PA man charged for anti-semitic threat to public official
(WJET/WFXP)– A Pennsylvania man is facing federal charges after allegedly threatening an Allegheny County official using anti-semitic tropes. Federal authorities have charged 29-year-old Edward Owens Jr. of Elizabeth, PA, for that alleged threat made on social media on May 20, which read: North East parents arrested after child found wandering street naked 'We're coming for you [emoji of person raising right hand] [German flag emoji] be afraid. Go back to Israel or better yet, exterminate yourself and save us the trouble. 109 countries for a reason. We will not stop until your kind is nonexistent.' The threat was investigated by the FBI, leading to a criminal complaint being filed. The phrase '109 countries for a reason' is a reference to a frequently used assertion by anti-semites that claims Jews have been expelled by 109 countries and support further expelling Jewish people, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Clearfield County man faces over 2,800 charges for abuse of young girls Prosecutors also requested Owens Jr. be held without bail, claiming he's a public threat. A hearing for that is set to take place on Thursday, June 5. The name of the official was not released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Palestinians shot dead near Gaza aid hub
Palestinians shot dead near Gaza aid hub The Palestinian health ministry, hospital officials and multiple eyewitnesses say deadly gunfire killed dozens of Palestinians near an aid distribution site in Gaza on Sunday, with Israel's military denying that its troops fired 'within or near' the aid site. CNN Jerusalem correspondent Jeremy Diamond brings you up to speed on what we know about the weekend chaos. 02:31 - Source: CNN Palestinian UN envoy breaks down talking about Gaza's children The Palestinian ambassador to the UN made an emotional address, saying more than 1,300 children have been killed in Gaza since Israel ended the ceasefire in March. 01:19 - Source: CNN Political candidate wears body armor daily CNN's David Culver met César Gutiérrez Priego as he was readying to campaign for office in Mexico City. Gutiérrez Priego, who is running for a seat on the Supreme Court in Mexico, shows Culver the safety precautions he takes with political violence in Mexico at an all-time high. See Culver's full reporting on CNN. 00:53 - Source: CNN Harvard students and faculty speak out against Trump Harvard students and faculty spoke to CNN ahead of commencement as Donald Trump said the university should cap foreign enrollment. The Trump administration has recently sought to cancel $100 million in contracts with the school. 02:03 - Source: CNN Palestinians desperate for food rush US-backed aid site Scores of people rushed over fencing and through barricades in southern Gaza on the first day a US-Israeli-backed aid site was opened. CNN's Jeremy Diamond explains the desperate humanitarian situation that remains in the region. 01:22 - Source: CNN Journalists spit on at Jerusalem Day flag march Ultra-nationalist Israeli Jews chanted anti-Arab slogans as they marched through Jerusalem's Old City to mark Jerusalem Day. CNN's Oren Liebermann describes heavy police presence on the ground. Members of the crowd were seen spitting on journalists, including a CNN producer. 01:50 - Source: CNN Finland's president responds to Russian military activity along border CNN's Erin Burnett speaks with Finland's President Alexander Stubb about his country ramping up its military to deter potential Russian aggression. 02:16 - Source: CNN King Charles stresses Canada's 'self determination' amid pressure from US King Charles III delivered the ceremonial Speech from the Throne in the Canadian Senate. The address marks only the second time in Canadian history that the reigning sovereign has opened parliament, and the third time that the British monarch has delivered the address. 00:42 - Source: CNN Huge ship refloated after nearly crashing into house A larger container ship has been refloated after nearly crashing into a house in Norway. According to local police, the navigator had fallen asleep at the helm. 00:42 - Source: CNN Vehicle plows into crowd in Liverpool Police in the United Kingdom say a man has been arrested after a car plowed into Liverpool fans celebrating during the soccer club's Premier League trophy parade. 01:14 - Source: CNN Iran's Foreign Ministry on progress of Iran-US talks Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei gave an exclusive interview to CNN's Fred Pleitgen on the progress of continuing nuclear talks with the US. Baqaei told CNN that any attempt by the Trump administration to 'deprive' Iranians of their right to nuclear energy would be 'very problematic'. But he also said that there were many ways to come to a compromise. Iran and the United States concluded a fifth round of talks in Rome on Friday. 01:16 - Source: CNN Video of President Macron's wife 'pushing' him goes viral A video of French President Macron's wife pushing him as they disembarked a flight has caught the attention of Russian trolls after going viral. While Macron himself tried to downplay the video saying it merely showed a couple 'bickering,' it's not the first time Russian troll accounts and state media outlets have tried to use videos of the French president to spread disinformation. CNN's Saskya Vandoorne has more. 01:35 - Source: CNN Israeli strikes were one of this hostage's biggest fears in captivity An Israeli soldier released by Hamas during a ceasefire-hostage deal has said one of her biggest fears during captivity were strikes carried out by Israel. It's 'what endangered me more than anything,' Na'ama Levy said. The former hostage's comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that defeating Israel's enemies is the 'supreme objective' and more important than securing the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. 00:57 - Source: CNN Nine of this doctor's children killed in Gaza Dr. Alaa al-Najjar left her ten children at home when she went to work in the emergency room at the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza. Hours later, the bodies of seven children - most of them badly burned - arrived at the hospital, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. They were Dr. Najjar's own children, killed in an Israeli strike on her home. The bodies of two more of her children – a 7-month-old and a 12-year-old who authorities presume to be dead – remain missing. 02:03 - Source: CNN Harvard foreign student describes atmosphere of 'pure panic' CNN spoke to 20-year-old Abdullah Shahid Sial, a rising junior and student body co-president at Harvard University, about his reaction to the Trump administration's decision to revoke the university's ability to enroll international students. A federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration's ban on Friday, after the nation's oldest and wealthiest college filed a suit in federal court. 01:29 - Source: CNN This Indian YouTuber is accused of spying An Indian travel vlogger has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Pakistan just days after tensions soared between the two longtime rival nations following an attack last month that left 26 tourists dead in India-administered Kashmir. Police say that 'in the pursuit of views, followers, and viral content, she fell into a trap.' 01:46 - Source: CNN See what Gaza's hotels looked like before the war When Donald Trump announced his plans to turn war-torn Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East," many Palestinians were angered. CNN spoke to two hoteliers, who explained what life was like before the war and their hopes for the future. 01:51 - Source: CNN Mountaineers scaled Mt. Everest in less than a week Mountaineers usually spend weeks or months acclimating to high altitudes before ascending Mt. Everest. But one group accomplished the feat in less than a week after using an anesthetic gas that critics warn could be dangerous. 01:40 - Source: CNN See moment OceanGate team noticed something wrong Newly released video shows OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush's wife, Wendy Rush, who was working on the communications and tracking team, notice the sound of a 'bang' while monitoring the submersible. The Titan submersible imploded on June 18, 2023, killing all five passengers on board. 00:49 - Source: CNN
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Man charged with federal hate crime, attempted murder in Colorado
June 2 (UPI) -- The 45-year-old man accused of using a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to burn people demonstrating in support of Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colo., was charged with a federal hate crime and is facing 16 state counts of attempted murder on Monday. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, of Colorado Springs, was booked into the Boulder County jail on Sunday night after the attack near the county courthouse. Soliman appeared in county court Monday, during which bond was set at $10 million, and is due back Thursday when charges will be formally filed. He is facing 16 counts of attempted murder in the first degree, eight counts of first-degree assault and 18 counts of possession of an incendiary device. This could add up to at least 384 years of prison time on conviction. In federal court, he is being charged with commission of a hate crime, acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado J. Bishop Grewell said during a news conference. Soliman would face the maximum sentence of life in prison. Soliman, an Egyptian national, entered Canada in August 2022 on a B2 visa that expired in February 2023 and his asylum claim was pending, said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "The Colorado Terrorist attack suspect, Mohamed Soliman, is illegally in our country," she said in a post on X. "He filed for asylum in September 2022. Victims Authorities increased the number of those hurt to 12 from eight on Monday. Four women and four men hospitalized range from 52 to 88. Two people were airlifted to a hospital in Aurora near Denver, an FBI official said. Boulder is 30 miles north of Denver. The other victims have been released from Boulder hospitals. Those injured included an 88-year-old woman, who is a Holocaust refugee from Europe. Rabbi Israel Wilhem, the Chabad director at the University of Colorado in Boulder, told CBS Colorado she is "very loving person." "Holocaust survivors should not spend the final chapter of their lives experiencing or witnessing this hatred again," Leo Terrell, the Justice Department official in charge of the antisemitism task force," posted on X. "We must fight this terror together." Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said the newly identified victims suffered minor injuries and learned about them when they came forward to be interviewed. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose mother was born in a concentration camp and his grandparents survived the Holocaust, said the attack was "very cruel" and has "every single hallmark of being a hate crime." "This was a peaceful march done every single week by the Jewish community, calling out the injustices of the hostages, and they were attacked because of who they are," he said on MSNBC. "It is heart-wrenching for all of us in Colorado." FBI Director Kash Patel has called the incident "a targeted terror attack." What happened Mark Michalek, the FBI special agent in charge, said witnesses reported hearing the suspect yell "Free Palestine" during the attack. "It is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism," he said. The suspect told investigators he "wanted to kill all Zionist people" and "he would do it again," according to an affidavit filed Monday. Soliman told investigators the attack was planned for a year, according to a federal criminal complaint, and he arrived at the gathering about five minutes before it started. He said he looked up videos on how to make Molotov cocktails on YouTube and purchased the items needed to make them, the complaint stated. A black plastic container with 14 unlit Molotov cocktails was found near where he was arrested. It include "glass wine carafe bottles or Ball jars containing clear liquid and red rags hanging out of the bottles," the affidavit said. Soliman "mentioned several times he wanted to be dead" in interviews with law enforcement, the warrant read. Soliman was not on the authorities' radar before the attack. Boulder's Redfearn said his officers didn't have previous "contacts" with him. One witness told NBC News he was dressed like a groundskeeper. "When I walked by the gentleman, I didn't know who he was, but thought he was out of place and odd," Lisa Turnquist, 66, said. "It wasn't 10 seconds later, I felt fluid on my leg and another lady had been burned." Turnquist, who was not injured, said she was with about 20 other members of Boulder Run for Their Lives when they were attacked. On Monday, Turnquist, who is Jewish and lives in Louisville, placed flowers at a makeshift memorial. Reaction The pro-Israel advocacy group the Anti-Defamation League said the demonstrators attacked in a statement were participants of the weekly Run for Their Lives event, which sees Jewish community members run and walk in solidarity with Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity. "Today, America bore witness to yet another heinous act of anti-Semitism designed to terrorize a peaceful community," Colorado Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement Sunday. "This type of hate-filled violence has no place in our civilized society and must be universally condemned." The attack, which was near Pearl St. Mall in downtown Boulder, occurred just before 1:30 p.m. MDT, authorities said. Police found victims suffering from burns. The ADL on Sunday said, "We're witnessing a global campaign of intimidation and terror deliberately directed against the Jewish people." According to the ADL, there have been nine plots or attacks allegedly targeting Jews or Jewish institutions in the United States in the past 11 months, a sharp increase compared with seven January 2020 to June of last year. Trump wrote on Truth Social that Sunday's attack "will not be tolerated." "He came in through Biden's ridiculous Open Border Policy, which has hurt our Country so badly. He must go out under 'TRUMP' Policy," the president said. "Acts of Terrorism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law," Trump wrote. "This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland. My heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, and the Great People of Boulder, Colorado!" Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X: "There is NO room in the United States for the rest of the world's terrorist sympathizers. Anyone who thinks they can come to America and hide behind the First Amendment to advocate for antisemitic violence and terrorism - think again. You are not welcome here. We will find you, deport you, and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. Our prayers are with the victims, families, and people of Boulder, Colorado. This evil has to STOP now." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X: "This attack was aimed against peaceful people who wished to express their solidarity with the hostages held by Hamas, simply because they were Jews. "I trust the American authorities will prosecute the cold-blooded perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law and will do everything possible to prevent future attacks against innocent civilians. "The antisemitic attacks around the world are a direct result of blood libels against the Jewish state and people, and this must be stopped."
