UT Austin student group claims new law violates free speech on campus

AUSTIN, Texas - A group of UT Austin students claim university officials are using a new law to clamp down on free speech.

At the core of this fight is Senate Bill 2972 — the legislation was passed during the regular session in response to protests on college campuses last year.

UT students push back on SB 2972

The backstory:

Members of a UT organization called Austin SDS (Students for a Democratic Society), gathered at the Texas Capitol on Friday. They claim free speech is being stifled by a new law that took effect earlier this month.

"We're not going to back down. Our policy has never been to back down. We are going to fight against this," said Daniel Ramirez, with Austin SDS.

The fight is about SB 2972. The legislation passed during the regular session and created new restrictions for protests that are held on college campuses in Texas. 

On September 4th, during an immigration enforcement protest, a key part of the new law came into play. Protesters who were not students were told to leave.

"We feel that it's our right to invite any community members we feel to these protests. And we think what this Bill serves to do is sever this connection between students and community," said Ramirez. 

Pro-Palestine protests last year prompted the legislation. Several non-students took part, with several being arrested. The new law, along with kicking out outsiders, bans encampments. Megaphones are prohibited and protests must shut down between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. 

The Rev. Natalie Webb of University Baptist Church—Austin joined the call for administrators to ignore the new law.

"We know and have seen over the course of our history that the speech of students has been a threat and has been attacked, but we've also seen that the speech of the students has led us throughout the last century as well in the West Campus area and across our country," said Rev. Webb.

Dig deeper:

Student protests are part of campus life at UT Austin, and even date back to 1966.

"Whether you realize it or not, this was an international day of protest that was proclaimed by the left-wing Student for a Democratic Society," said Charles Ward in a 1966 report.

The cause at that time was also familiar.

"The question which most of them are concerned with, which I believe to be a valid question, and which I don't have an answer for, but I think we could search for one, is, should anybody, any place in the university, be it students, faculty, administration, have prior censorship over material that is passed out on the campus, or should the material be treated the same as if they were across the street," said a speaker in the 1966 KTBC report.

The other side:

This current free speech fight is also being waged on social media. 

On Thursday, Rep. Tom Oliverson, a republican from Cypress, called on UT administrators to investigate the Austin SDS. His suggestion, that the group should be kicked off campus, was dismissed by Ramirez.

"There's strong legal basis for our work. Any indication otherwise is wrong," said Ramirez.

What's next:

A federal lawsuit was filed last week in an effort to block the new law. It was filed by a group called The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. 

FOX 7 was told Austin SDS is not part of the lawsuit.