AUSTIN, Texas — After a string of protests and mounting tension at University of Texas at Austin amid the Israel-Hamas war, a statewide pro-Palestine protest is set to take center stage at the Texas Capitol on Sunday.
However, plans have been rearranged following a memo from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), stating that the Capitol grounds, where the protest was scheduled to take place. will be temporary closed until Monday at 7 a.m. due to the impending event.
The memo, which was addressed to legislative staff, cited safety concerns and stated that because they were expecting a large crowd, DPS “determined the closure of Capitol grounds is necessary to protect the safety and security of persons and property within the complex.”
Ahead of the closures, which started Saturday evening, DPS already had parking meters covered with “No Parking” signs along West 11th Street and in the back of the Capitol just along Colorado Street.
Pro-Palestinian protests have been held at the Capitol in recent months with no issues, including one with thousands of attendees in November 2023.
Palestinian groups that organized the event stated in a release that the purpose for Sunday’s protest was to mark the 76th anniversary of "Nakba," which translates to “catastrophe” in Arabic. The anniversary commemorates when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, according to the United Nations.
Niveen Abdelwahed, who is an organizer with the Palestine Youth Movement, called the closure of the grounds a sign of repression.
“At the end of the day, what's been made clear is that the people stand with Palestine and the masses stand with Palestine, and the response by the state is a response that shows that they are afraid of the power that the people hold in calling for a liberated Palestine,” Abdelwahed said.
Organizers of the event said despite the setback, the protest will still go on.
“It's important for us to make sure that, again, our voices are heard and that we don't back down, and we're able to commemorate this day and we're able to continue to demand a ceasefire,” Abdelwahed said.