Pro-Palestine protesters call for end to war, arms embargo at Auditorium Shores rally
The Brief
Austin protesters gathered to call for end to war in Gaza
Protest displayed photos of those lost in Gaza
Protest fell on 77th anniversary of the Nakba
AUSTIN, Texas - Austin protesters joined in on a worldwide movement calling for an end to the war in Gaza.
What we know
This protest falls on the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, which commemorates what Palestinians see as their mass displacement during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
The protest at Auditorium Shores on Sunday was lined with photos of remembrance of the people who died in Gaza.
What they're saying
"I've been involved with this movement for 15 years because I believe that it's wrong to discriminate based on religion and ethnicity, and our government is funding that with billions of dollars," said Michael Katz, who's Jewish but is here to support pro-Palestinian protesters.
"We are the voices for those that can't be heard," said Lisa Debruyne, an organizer of the protest with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. "The Palestinian people have been wanting an end to this, and we want an end to it, and we're here to show that we stand with them in that solidarity."
"It's harrowing," said Debruyne. "It's heartbreaking seeing what our U.S. tax dollars are going into."
What's next
Protesters hope they'll see an arms embargo on Israel and an end to the war in the Middle East.
Dig deeper
It comes after the city of San Marcos discussed a resolution last month accusing Israel of genocide and calling for a cease-fire and arms embargo to stop the U.S. from funding Israel's military.
They claim more than four million dollars of that came from San Marcos taxpayers.
"Why do the people in the government continue to support this crime against humanity despite the fact that a vast majority of Americans support the people of Palestine and don't want this happening in their name?" said Kamil Shunnarah, another protest organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement of Central Texas.
City council ended up rejecting the resolution after Gov. Greg Abbottthreatened to cut grants to the city for not complying with state law.
In his letter, he called the resolution "pro-Hamas" and said, "Texas will not tolerate antisemitism."
"The world can not have peace until Hamas is gone," said Abbott in a press conference on October 7, 2024.
"This incredible repression is a response to the power that the people have," said Shunnarah.
The Source
Information in this report comes from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin's Lauren Rangel and previous reporting by FOX 7 Austin.
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Associated Press
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- Associated Press
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Washington Post
14 minutes ago
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CBS News
15 minutes ago
- CBS News
Trump's military parade today isn't the first in the U.S. — but they're rare. Here's a look back.
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The event included thousands of members of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division and dozens of tanks and howitzers, requiring planners to close off the Manhattan Bridge and carefully bring heavy equipment over the East River from Brooklyn. The New York Times reported millions of spectators attended the parade. In mid-1942, months after the U.S. formally entered World War II, the city hosted a morale-boosting "New York at War" parade that the Times said was meant to "give a realistic picture of what the American armed forces and their machines of destruction look like." Soldiers stand rigidly at attention in their vehicles which carry 8-inch Howitzers during the Victory Parade of the 82nd Airborne Division on Fith Avenue in New York on Jan. 12, 1946. HARRY HARRIS / AP Thousand of people line the streets to cheer on military units in New York on June 13, 1942. Anonymous / AP The end of World War I was also celebrated by victory parades in New York and D.C. in 1919. It could've gone smoother: Dozens of artillery tractors that participated in the New York parade took a wrong turn after the event and got lost in Brooklyn for hours, the Times wrote at the time. The 1st Division of the U. S. Army parades beneath an arch at 14th and Pensylvania Avenues in Washington D. C. on Sept. 17, 1919. Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images Civil War and 19th century celebrations Washington hosted a massive two-day parade in May 1865 to celebrate the Union's victory in the Civil War, featuring over 100,000 troops, according to the National Park Service. The event — called the Grand Review of the Armies — was made up of military volunteers who passed through the capital on their way home from the former Confederate states, Simpson says. The event featured Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and President Andrew Johnson, taking place months after President Abraham Lincoln's assassination. "The place was packed," said Simpson. People watch soldiers on horseback, followed by those on foot, parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington during the "Grand Review of the Armies" on May 23-24, 1865. Matthew Brady / AP Other countries Mr. Trump may have drawn inspiration for Saturday's parade from abroad. The president first hinted at hosting a military parade after attending France's annual Bastille Day parade in 2017. He called it "a tremendous thing," and added, "We're going to have to try and top it" on the Fourth of July. His administration began planning a Veterans' Day parade a year later, but it was called off, with Mr. Trump blaming city officials for driving up the cost. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron attend the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on July 14, 2017. AFP Contributor France has hosted its Bastille Day military parade every July for over a century, recognizing the anniversary of the start of the 1789 French Revolution. Several other countries host regular military parades, including India, Pakistan, Russia and North Korea. But similar events have been fairly rare in the United States. O'Connell says that's probably due to a "long, long strain in American culture, on both left and right, of being healthily suspicious of state power and of military power in particular." "It's certainly deep in the American military character to be nervous about a garrison state, a militarized society," O'Connell said. Mr. Trump's plans to host a military parade this weekend have drawn criticism, with some Democrats calling the idea wasteful and self-aggrandizing. But the White House has defended Saturday's event, calling it "a fitting tribute to the service, sacrifice, and selflessness of all who have worn the uniform."
