A group of students and community members in support of Palestine has gathered outside of the UT College of Law with plans to stay in the area.

At noon Wednesday, the organization Students for Justice in Palestine held a vigil on HSS lawn calling for the university to divest from corporations that directly or indirectly support Israel, to transparently disclose all investments and donations from Israeli companies, to cease the school’s study abroad program in Israel, and to reject any threats against free speech.

The vigil invited students to sign their names on a banner calling for the university to meet their demands. Students chanted for Palestine to be free and disbanded around 1 p.m.

After that, students and community members separate from Students for Justice in Palestine independently hosted a gathering at the Torchbearer statue, expressing sentiments similar to those expressed at the previous vigil. Within about five minutes, counter protestors appeared on the scene waving American flags and chanting, “Free, free Israel.”

The students in support of Palestine then began marching from the Torchbearer statue, closely followed by the counter protesters. Both groups marched to Cumberland Avenue. The students in support of Palestine gathered at the corner of Cumberland Avenue and Phillip Fulmer Way, while the counter protesters gathered across the street. The counter protesters have since dissipated for the most part.

People at the gathering have encouraged students to stay in the area and said that they will be hosting workshops about the history of Palestine and about students’ rights. It’s unclear how long students plan to stay.

This is a developing story. Continued coverage will follow.