On February 23, 2024, more than 20 hooded individuals stormed and looted the Autonomous University of Tamaulipas’ (UAT) Multidisciplinary Academic Unit. Several staff members were injured, including the director and secretary of the administration.

The group, armed with bats and pipes, entered the university and looted the building, reportedly taking computer equipment. The group also damaged cameras, electronic equipment, furniture, and offices.

The Attorney General’s office in Tamaulipas opened an investigation into the attack. The results of the investigation were not publicly available at the time of writing.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about violence against university members and about the forced entry into a higher education institution. State authorities should take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of scholars, students, and staff, including by investigating and holding perpetrators of such acts responsible, in line with international human rights standards. In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, campus raids and intimidation of higher education members undermine academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and democratic society generally.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://www.elmanana.com/tamaulipas/mante/irrumpen-encapuchados-la-unidad-academica-multidisciplinaria-mante/5816723
https://www.gaceta.mx/2024/02/unos-20-encapuchados-irrumpen-en-la-uam-mante-y-armados-de-bates-y-tubos-agreden-a-directivos/
https://www.jornada.com.mx/noticia/2024/02/24/estados/denuncian-atentado-contra-directivos-de-la-autonoma-de-tamaulipas-9463
https://www.milenio.com/politica/comunidad/investigan-autoridades-ataque-instalaciones-uat-mante