NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Lone Star State Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard to send resources to the state capital in advance of what he called “an Antifa-linked protest.”
“Today, I directed the Dept. of Public Safety and National Guard to surge forces into Austin ahead of an Antifa-linked protest. Texas will NOT tolerate chaos. Anyone destroying property or committing acts of violence will be swiftly arrested. Law and order will be enforced,” Abbott asserted in a Thursday post on X.
While Abbott did not specify what protest he was speaking about, there are scads of “No Kings” events scheduled for Saturday around the nation, including one in Austin, Texas.
‘NO KINGS’ ORGANIZER DISCOURAGES VIOLENCE FOLLOWING COAST-TO-COAST ARRESTS
On Friday, Fox News Digital reached out to Abbott’s office, which responded by pointing to a press release that states the governor “directed the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Texas National Guard to deploy personnel and tactical assets to Austin ahead of a planned antifa-linked demonstration to protect Texans and their property.”
Fox News Digital also reached out to No Kings for comment on Friday and received a response from the American Civil Liberties Union, which provided a statement from Ellen Flenniken, deputy director of the Justice Division of the ACLU.
‘NO KINGS’ MOVEMENT AND WHAT IT WANTS: INSIDE THE MESSAGE DRIVING SATURDAY’S NATIONWIDE PROTESTS
“Millions of people are anticipated to peacefully protest at more than 2,700 No Kings events across the country on Saturday. While President Trump and his allies are trying to intimidate us into silence by deploying troops to our cities, the best way to protect our First Amendment rights is to keep using them,” Flenniken said in the statement.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson noted in part of a Thursday post on X, “I have confirmed that the National Guard will be prepared to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety and otherwise take actions on Saturday, if deemed necessary. We are told that the Guard will not be on the streets of Austin unless there is a determination that there is an emergency need.”
SOROS FOUNDATION HELPING FUND ANTI-TRUMP ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTS NATIONWIDE
Texas Democratic Party chair Kendall Scudder accused Abbott of “doing everything he can to suck up to Donald Trump, including taking a page from Trump’s authoritarian playbook, and intimidating people exercising their First Amendment right.”
President Donald Trump issued an executive order last month in which he declared, “I hereby designate Antifa as a ‘domestic terrorist organization.'”
Read the full article here
