Over the past week and a half, a crew of swastika-wearing, anti-vaccine literature distributing nazis have caroused around Austin with hardly a care in the world. One of them even fistbumped with a supervisor in the Police Department.
Sadly, this lackluster response to their presence is a sign that antifascist organizing in Austin needs fresh life breathed into it.
And so some members of the Austin community came out yesterday to oppose this brazen fascist behavior. We hung two banners over the Far West & Mopac overpass. This busy intersection lies just outside the city’s largest Jewish neighborhood, and the nazis repeatedly targeted the bridge as a result.
As a result, we felt it was very important to visually reclaim the space for antifascism and all good people who oppose what fascists represent.
Fuck nazis. You Are not welcome in Austin.
One banner read “Fuck Nazis. You Are Not Welcome Here.” The second banner had a Jewish antifascism symbol (a Star of David with the red & black antifascist flags), the words “Nazis Out of Austin” and a Yiddish phrase which translates to “We will outlive you.”
Yesterday’s action held the space on the bridge for about two hours in the afternoon, during the start of rush hour. Participants came from the local chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, along with an ad hoc group that formed for the event, which called themselves Austin White Rose.
It was a small but successful event, likely seen by thousands of drivers. Some people from the neighborhood even joined in or stopped by to share their support, and I’ve heard from several folks on Twitter and elsewhere that were grateful we showed up.
Now, more than ever, it’s important to build coalitions and find ways we can take action against rising fascism, along with the other emergencies we face. Reach out to your connections, find what needs doing, and figure out what you can do to get it done, however large or small.
Thanks to everyone that came out to support us!
Published under a Creative Commons license
Nazis Out of Austin Banner Drop by Kit O’Connell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Based on a work at https://kitoconnell.com/2021/10/30/nazis-out-of-austin-banner-drop/.
