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Oct 26, 21

Denton, TX: Hundreds Help Shut Down Far-Right Anti-Choice Rally

Report back from rally against far-Right anti-choice protest at the University of North Texas in Denton.

At the University of North Texas in Denton, there is a campus organization called the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT). This is a statewide organization that has chapters at many different universities and colleges across the state of Texas. They are known for holding events that are highly offensive, such as an “Affirmative Action Bake Sale,” in which they sell baked goods at different prices based on race. On this particular occasion, YCT held a candlelight vigil on campus to “honor victims of abortion.” YCT in general is an innocuous group of privileged kids. The distinguishing difference with the vigil was their invitation of white nationalist and far-Right social media influences, and because of this the decision was made to show up and shut it down.

We rounded the corner on campus to where the “vigil” was being held, except, it was not a vigil at all. They had a “Come and Take It” flag, the white one with the black lettering, and they were shouting bigoted messages about fascism, saying things about how women who have abortions should go to jail, and chanting things about God. They didn’t even have candles, they only had little white bags filled with sand and fake battery operated candles, because “babies” don’t deserve the cost of real candles. Anyways, on arrival there was already a sizable crowd of students gawking at what the megaphones we’re about. The entrance of whistles and megaphone sirens sparked an empowerment of the crowd that led to a deluge of a stampede on the YCT kids who were doing their best to hold a retaining wall down.

After several minutes of screaming and chanting matches, YCT passed the megaphones to “heck off commie” YouTuber John Doyle to bring the dog whistles to a state of audibility. Thus began a line of thinly veiled threats about how women who have abortions should get the death penalty. In response to the commotion, UNT police sent three cops. They spent the evening with their backs to YCT, facing the pro-choice side; essentially providing security for the far-Right rally.

A local UNT band called Homewrecker and the Bedwetters brought their drum set over to the pro-choice side to help us cause distraction. They played various beats on their drums as we all chanted along and danced, helping to cause distraction and drown out the fascist messages that were being delivered by YCT. It was a really beautiful moment, a group of anti-fascists, most of us not even knowing each other, joining together and using music to drown out the hatred.

Eventually YCT left escorted by UNT Police after the overwhelming realization they would not solicit a reaction of violence and their message would not be carried out in the way they desired. In the aftermath, conversations among counter-protestors were sparked about what community defense meant, and ways to empower our community to repel evangelical fascists as the university has time and time again codified YCT’s bigoted rhetoric under the guise of “free speech.”

UNT stood up in one voice and declared that we protect us; this has shocked and terrified the right-wing propaganda machine to it’s core.

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