UT Austin students join National Day of Action to drop the charges on the Tampa 5
Austin, TX – On August 9, members of Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) joined the call for nationwide protest to defend the Tampa 5, the five SDS members in Florida who were brutally attacked by police and now face trumped-up charges for protesting Ron DeSantis’ attacks on diversity in schools.
Austin SDS members gathered in the 106-degree heat at the University of Texas’ West Mall for this day of action.
The group chanted: “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Ron DeSantis go away!” and “Protesting is not a crime, justice for the Tampa 5!”
SDS member Jake Holtzman said, “Protesting is not a crime, and standing up for diversity on our campuses is not a crime either. The real criminals are the Republican lawmakers like Ron DeSantis in Florida or Greg Abbott here in Texas, and the cops who brutally attacked the Tampa 5. We will not rest until every last charge against the Tampa 5 is dropped! And we will not stand idly by while people like DeSantis continue to attack Black and brown education rights.”