Pro-Palestinian protests continue on UT-Austin campus. Here's what we know Tuesday

Protests in support of Palestinians have entered their second week at the University of Texas in Austin as students across the nation plan mass rallies and encampments on their college and university campuses.

Hundreds of students gathered in the campus' South Mall on Monday, setting up tents in a surprise encampment, in which Gov. Greg Abbott threatened arrest. Although protests are protected by the First Amendment, freedom of encampment is not.

'No encampments will be allowed:' Abbott says pro-Palestinian protesters at UT will be arrested

This event marks an escalation from pro-Palestinian rallies on campus on Wednesday when 57 students were arrested and charged with criminal trespassing — although all charges were dropped. Travis County Attorney Delia Garza, whose office handles misdemeanor cases, acknowledged "deficiencies" in the probable cause arrest affidavits, which are documents used by law enforcement to justify arrests.

Here's what we know about the ongoing events.

Why are college students protesting on the UT-Austin campus?

The Palestine Solidarity Committee has planned several of the ongoing protests, advocating for an end to the Israel-Hamas war. PSC said they did not organize Monday's protest and surprise encampment but supported protesters by providing food and water.

PSC is a chapter of the national organization Students for Justice in Palestine and was a registered student group until UT issued an interim suspension Thursday after last week's protests.

Amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hamas, the Palestine Solidarity Committee organized the protest in solidarity with students nationwide, who have been urging their universities to divest from Israeli businesses and calling on the federal government to cease supporting Israel's military operations. The protest comes in response to the tragic loss of more than 30,000 lives in Gaza amidst the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

What is a pro-Palestine protest?: Here's why U.S. college students are protesting

How many protesters have been arrested on the UT campus?

In addition to the 57 students arrested for last week's protests, 79 people were booked into the Travis County Jail for the most recent protest on Monday.

One of the protesters was arrested on the charge of interfering with public duties, while the remaining 78 faced charges of criminal trespass; one was also charged with obstructing a highway or passageway.

Live updates: 79 arrested during pro-Palestinian encampment on UT-Austin campus on Monday

Protest encampments are occurring across at least 20 campuses in the U.S.

Hundreds of protesters have been arrested across the U.S. since April 18, when an encampment at Columbia University in New York City led to the arrest of more than 100 protesters on their campus alone.

Protests, rallies and encampments have since surged across the nation's higher education institutions, and protesters have faced arrest at more than 20 campuses across 16 states. Several other schools have witnessed protests without arrests.

In addition to UT, arrests have occurred at New York University, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Southern California, and Yale University, among many others.

UT is the only university in Texas and each of its immediately bordering states that have seen arrests, although protests have occurred at University of Texas at Dallas and Texas Tech University, as well as other Texas universities.

Pro-Palestinian protests will continue on UT campus this week

PSC has organized at least two more protests on the UT campus this week, including an event on Tuesday afternoon and events on Wednesday, May 1, historically dubbed as May Day for protests.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: What we know about the pro-Palestinian protests on UT-Austin campus