Austin, TX – On Tuesday afternoon, September 19, a group of students gathered on Speedway and 21st Street at the University of Texas at Austin to rally in defense of campus diversity programs. Since the signing of Texas Senate Bill 17 in June, diversity, equity, and inclusion offices have been banned at public universities, and the UT administration has still not taken any action to protect diversity programs on campus.

Participants in the protest included students from Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Black Student Alliance. One of the speakers, SDS member Jake Holtzman, said, “We are out here to protest against the ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion offices in Texas. This could affect programs and centers that are important to student needs, such as the Multicultural Engagement Center and the Gender and Sexuality Center. Yet President Hartzell and other upper administrators have stayed silent and given nothing but empty comments, claiming they support us, but refusing to take action.”

Holtzman continued, “We don’t want to hear the administration simply say, ‘Thank you for sharing your message, we support you.’ We want promises for actual action steps to protect diversity programs.”

After gathering for a brief rally, students marched down to the UT Engineering Education and Research Center to confront the school’s president, Jay Hartzell, who was delivering a state of the university address. Although this was a public event, the protesters were met at the door by administrators who claimed they were not allowed inside the auditorium. The administrators told students that they sent out an email about a required RSVP, however, none of the student organizations present received this email.

The protesters were forced to remain outside the auditorium, but stood their ground, and continued to hold their signs that had messages such as, “Defend diversity, equity, and inclusion” and “Support student rights!”

#AustinTX #AustinSDS #SDS #UTAustin #DEI

Austin, TX – In the middle of thunderstorms and a tornado watch, around 200 people gathered in central Austin, May 5, for a march and rally for abortion rights called by U.T. Austin student groups, Students for a Democratic Society and the Feminist Action Project. The organizations called the protest in response to the draft opinion that suggests the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade.

The crowd marched from U.T. Tower to the Capitol building, chanting “My body, my choice!” and “Hey hey, ho ho, the heartbeat bills have got to go!”

As the protestors arrived at the Capitol, a program of several speakers from local organizations followed. Speeches highlighted the need to stay organized and continue fighting for women’s and reproductive rights. Many speakers also pointed out the economic impacts of abortion bans, as many poor and working class women do not have the resources to travel out of state to get an abortion.

Speaking about the importance of sustained mass protest, Victoria Mycue said: “We know that we cannot continue on like this, and we know that we have to put a stop to this. I am so excited that we in our masses are rising up against it! How do we know that we the people can be successful in this fight? We have the answer right here, all around us. The answer is us.”

#AustinTX #WomensMovement #PeoplesStruggles #RoeVWade #AustinSDS

Austin, TX – Around 100 people rallied at the Texas State Capitol on September 1 to protest against the statewide abortion ban that went into effect that same day. Texas abortion clinics have been forced to stop taking appointments in order to avoid what could be thousands of lawsuits against them. The new law especially affects low-income and working-class women who don’t have the resources to take time off work, since the ban forces women in Texas to drive an average of 248 miles one way to access an abortion clinic out of state.

Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized Wednesday’s action and co-led the rally along with the Feminist Action Project, another student organization based at the University of Texas-Austin.

The central demands of the protest were to stop Governor Greg Abbott’s attacks on women, and to call for abortion rights and democracy. Chants included, “Governor Abbott, you can’t hide! You don’t care if women die!” and, “When women’s rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

The protest began with a rally outside the capitol building, featuring many chants and speeches. Protesters then marched down Colorado and 11th Streets, and finally into the capitol itself, where chants echoed loudly throughout the building. The protest closed out with a call to action, urging all who attended to stay organized and join organizations like SDS or the Feminist Action Project to continue the struggle.

#AustinTX #PeoplesStruggles #AbortionBan #AustinSDS

Austin, TX – On March 30, around 30 students and activists from all over Austin converged on the State Capitol building in solidarity with Palestine on Land Day. The action was organized by Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC), a local group dedicated to organizing in solidarity with Palestinians in their struggle against the Israeli occupation.

PSC was joined by many local groups including Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Red Aid, and the United Neighborhood Defense Movement, among others.

As various speakers explained, Land Day is a commemoration of March 30, 1976 when – after the Israeli occupation’s plan to steal thousands of acres of land – Palestinians banded together, organized mass strikes, and protested against the Israeli occupation. In the resulting action, six unarmed Palestinians were murdered, roughly 100 were injured, and hundreds more were arrested.

Speaking for Austin SDS, Justin Clitheroe drew connections between police in the U.S. and the Israeli military. Clitheroe said, “The fight for Palestinian freedom is closely tied to the fight against police crimes right here in the U.S. As we, and other groups, organize against police brutality on our campuses and in our communities, we must also remember that many U.S. police forces, including the APD, have trained with the Israeli Defense Forces, sharing tactics for oppressing protesters who dare to speak out against the injustices that the police commit.”

Nura Bawab, an organizer with PSC, said, “We recognize that these instances of repression are not isolated incidents. That these killings, arrests and brutality from the state are consistently used as a means to suppress the Palestinian fight for self determination. It is not something that should be normalized. Rather it is a reminder of the violence that is intrinsically necessary by Israel to continue their settler colonial project.”

Bawab also emphasized the continued Palestinian resistance, reminding us that “Palestinians in Gaza began the Great March of Return, which became one of the largest popular protests against Israel and the illegal blockade in recent history.”

After the speeches, the action continued with a march down 11th Street and concluded with a banner drop over Interstate 35.

#AustinTX #StudentMovement #Palestine #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #PalestinianLandDay #AustinSDS #PalestineSolidarityCommittee

Austin, TX – Protesters gathered in front of the Capitol building to listen to speeches in solidarity with Minneapolis on March 8, the first day of Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd.

Organizers from Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) denounced police violence and demanded justice for George Floyd, Jamar Clark, Philando Castile and countless others whose lives have been ended by police.

Jake Holtzman, speaker for FRSO, stated “At the end of the day, police are a tool of the ruling class to protect private property. We recognize that, ultimately, national liberation struggles are closely linked with the fight for a socialist revolution.”

The rally closed out with chants, including, “Indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell!”

#AustinTX #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #AustinSDS