AUSTIN—Pro-Palestine protestors demanded city council members condemn Israel and called for a ceasefire.
Organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation Austin, TX, the rally packed Austin’s city council meeting.
“So far only three Councilmembers have spoken up,” an Instagram announcement from PSL ATX reads.
It continues, stating, “Over 20,000 are dead, mostly women and children. The rest of Council, including the mayor, have refused to condemn (or actively endorsed) Israel’s genocidal bombing of Gaza, which is being funded with our tax dollars and with the support of many tech companies based in Austin.”
According to the Austin Monitor, the three mentioned Council members who released a statement yesterday calling for a ceasefire are Vanessa Fuentes, Zo Qadri, and José Velásquez.
The demonstrators can be seen in photographs posted on social media holding signs that say “Stop funding genocide” and “The occupation of Palestine has got to go.”
Texas Scorecard covered similar Austin-based protests that took place earlier this year.
For example, last month, nearly 10,000 people marched on Capitol grounds in Austin calling for Palestine to be “free.” These protestors held signs displaying art featuring swastikas.
Similar to yesterday’s demonstration, the protestors in November chanted the now-infamous phrase, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
However, the chant is not simply calling for the previously proposed two-state solution. Rather, according to The Federalist, it is a call to eradicate the state of Israel entirely.
The Federalist reports that the slogan is not just a celebration of the murder of Jewish people; rather, it is a “demand for ethnic cleansing.”
Nevertheless, much of Texas’ leadership continues to unequivocally support Israel. In early November, Governor Greg Abbott traveled to Israel to reaffirm state support for the Israeli people.
“There is a deep, enduring bond between Texas and Israel, with the blessings of freedom and burdens of vigilance embedded in the histories of both our people,” the Governor said on November 2. “Unfortunately, never has freedom in Israel been more threatened than it is right now—and the people of Israel are vigorously fighting to defend it,” he continued.
Abbott’s office has yet to respond to a request for comment on the local protests from Texas Scorecard.
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