Four current and former University of Texas at Austin students sued the college and Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Wednesday, alleging they faced unlawful arrest and retaliatory discipline for demonstrating against Israel’s assault on Gaza, Reuters reports.

Filed in US District Court in San Antonio by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) on behalf of the students, the lawsuit accuses UT Austin President Jay Hartzell, Abbott and law enforcement officers of intentionally suppressing pro-Palestinian speech at an April 24, 2024, campus protest.

According to the filing, Abbott, with the consent of Hartzell, ordered state police in riot gear to carry out mass arrests, violating protesters’ First Amendment rights to assemble and express their opinions.

In response to the lawsuit, UT Austin spokesperson Mike Rosen referred to statements the university made after the arrests saying it acted to preserve campus safety, enforce protest rules, and that most arrests were of people from outside the university.

Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a social media post during the arrests, Abbott said: “Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas.”

Two students named in the suit said they wanted to protect others from the physical and mental harm they had suffered.