Austin, TX – On November 20, Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a speak out against a U.S. war on Venezuela. A group of students and faculty gathered for speeches at the George Washington statue on the University of Texas campus

By Jake Holtzman

Austin, TX – On November 19, a group of around 30 UT Austin students and alumni rallied at the UT Systems Building during the UT board of regents meeting. Students are demanding that UT deny Trump’s Compact on Higher Education, which would slash gender and ethnic studies programs, lower international student enrollment, and limit academic freedom.

Austin, TX – On November 7, around 200 students gathered by the UT Tower in opposition to Trump’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which would effectively cede more control of the university and its academic programs to the Trump administration.

Austin, TX – On October 20, roughly 200 students, faculty and community members took to the streets at the University of Texas at Austin to reject Trump’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”. This march followed on the momentum of an earlier rally which took place on October 13.

Austin, TX – On October 13, over 200 students, faculty, staff and community members at the University of Texas at Austin gathered at the main tower to reject the compact agreement that Trump’s administration sent to nine universities on October 2.

Austin, TX – On October 2, about 25 students gathered on UT’s South Lawn for a vigil in commemoration of the families who have been torn apart by ICE in Trump’s mass deportation campaign. The vigil was organized by the Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in order to stand in solidarity with the 200,000-plus people who have been deported since Trump was inaugurated in January of this year.

Austin, TX – On Thursday, September 4, around 70 students gathered outside the UT Tower to protest Trump’s bigoted and reactionary agenda. The protest was organized by Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) as a part of a National Day of Action.

“We’re out here to demand protection for immigrants here at UT and in Texas, and also in acknowledgement that Trump wants to turn the whole country into Texas,” SDS member Daniel Ramirez said, in reference to Trump’s attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion and multicultural programs. “We can’t stand alone in this fight, and we’re proud to kick off this semester standing in solidarity with students all over the country in the fight against Trump.”

Austin, TX – On Thursday, July 3, students and community activists gathered at the Texas Capitol to call for an end to continued U.S. aggression against Iran. The action was organized by Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

Austin, TX – Around 60 Austin students and community members held a noise demonstration outside the J.J. Pickle Federal Building on Monday evening, June 16, in solidarity with the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles.

Austin, TX – Around 40 students rallied at a walkout for immigrant rights in front of the UT Tower, Wednesday, April 9, at 11 a.m. The walkout is part of an ongoing campaign by Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to kick ICE off campus. Students are calling on the university to take concrete actions to protect immigrant students and to refuse to collaborate with ICE.

Austin, TX – On the afternoon of March 8, International Women’s Day, around 400 people rallied in downtown Austin in front of the Texas State Capitol building.

Austin, TX – 100 University of Texas students and community members rallied on February 12 in front of Littlefield Fountain, calling for protection of immigrant rights and demanding that ICE not be allowed to operate on campus. Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized the rally in response to Trump’s plan for mass deportations and sightings of ICE agents on and around campus.

Austin, TX – On Wednesday, January 22, around 20 students, faculty and community members gathered outside the Perry–Castañeda Library on the UT Austin campus as a part of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) National Day of Action to resist Trump’s right-wing agenda.

Austin, TX – On Wednesday, November 20, a group of around 40 pro-Palestine students and community members rallied to demand that the University of Texas (UT) divest from the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The rally was held outside the UT Systems Building in downtown Austin, where the UT board of regents quarterly meeting was taking place.

Austin, TX – On Wednesday afternoon, November 6, a group of students at UT Austin rallied in front of the Littlefield Fountain on UT’s campus to oppose Trump and his racist, backwards agenda. Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) planned to rally no matter who won the presidential election, joining national calls to stand with Palestine and continue the struggle.

Austin, TX – Joe Biden was set to speak at the University of Texas at Austin on Monday, July 16, and the Austin community was prepared to greet him with a massive protest to demand that he stop funding the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Biden cancelled his trip at the last minute, but around 70 people still gathered outside the Texas Capitol Monday evening, to show Biden that the people will not stand for the killings of Palestinians in Al-Mawasi, or for any part of the U.S. backed genocide in Gaza.

Austin, TX – On Monday, April 28, around 1 p.m., University of Texas at Austin students and community members gathered on the UT South Lawn to set up a Popular University encampment. A group of around 40 people was quickly joined by hundreds more supporting students, as booming chants of, “Free free Palestine,” echoed throughout UT’s South Mall.

Austin, TX – On Friday, January 19 around 35 students and community members gathered off Speedway corridor at the University of Texas at Austin. As the crowd chanted, “Yemen, Yemen stand your ground, turn another ship around!” and “Gaza, Gaza you will rise, you have Yemen by your side!” several students passing by stopped to join in the chants and listen to speeches.

Austin, TX – Around 20 Austin community members and students held a banner-drop for Palestine on Wednesday afternoon, January 3, on the overpasses above Interstate 35 at 11th and 12th Streets.

Trucks and cars on the busy highway honked with enthusiastic support for Palestine, as they drove past the several banners and flags being held on the two overpasses. Some drivers even rolled down their windows to shout “Free, free Palestine!” at the top of their lungs. Only a small handful of people had negative responses to the banner drop.

Austin, TX – On November 12, activists in solidarity with Palestine carried out a banner drop at a Scholastic book fair. The book fair took place across the street from a large statewide Palestinian protest on the state capitol grounds, with attendees numbering in the tens of thousands.