RefuseFascism.org received this report from volunteers in Texas. As it was being written, the Texas House did vote in the new redistricting map – a flagrant move to steal congressional seats in the 2026 midterm elections.
At the behest of fascist-in-chief Donald Trump, Texas’s Governor Abbott and his fellow Christian fascists are ruthlessly working to ram through a redistricting plan aimed at providing 5 more Texas Republi-fascists to the U.S. Congress. This plan would further skew Texas – where less than 40% of the population is “non-Hispanic white” – to be “represented” by white Republican fascists. It would also remove two of Trump’s more outspoken Congressional opponents – Al Green and Jasmine Crockett – from Congress.
Abbott called a special session to enforce these changes, but Democrats who left the state prevented them from coming to a vote. When they returned after several weeks, Abbott illegally told them to sign a consent to be “escorted” by state troopers or face arrest.
Representative Nicole Collier refused to sign, and Abbott ordered troopers to prevent her from leaving the Capitol. She remains kidnapped–and unrepentant. She has spent the last two nights sleeping at her desk in House chambers. At least six other representatives joined her protest. Abbott’s repressive measures have outraged millions of people in Texas. Many have drawn comparison to these attacks to the racist Jim Crow laws Black people were subjected to for almost a century.
On Monday night four protesters, holding signs, chanting, and singing, were arrested inside the Capitol for refusing to leave. A call went out on Tuesday for people to gather on the Capitol grounds. That evening, an alleged “active shooter” was cited by authorities as the pretext for clearing the Capitol building and grounds of protesters.
When we learned of this, a couple of us from Houston hurried to make the 3-hour drive to Austin, to be part of these protests and spread Refuse Fascism’s call for mass mobilization to DC beginning Nov 5.
When we got to the Capitol, we found about 150 to 200 demonstrators amassed outside the (locked) gate to the capitol grounds. They were all outraged at Abbott and Co.’s blatant racism, the violations of the U.S. Constitution, and their utter contempt for humanity. All this was concentrated in a chant popular at protests across the state: “Fuck Greg Abbott!”.
Our presence and message were warmly welcomed. We distributed about 350 of the leaflet “The time has come for…The FALL of the TRUMP FASCIST REGIME Beginning November 5, 2025. Washington DC.” Many people took stacks of leaflets to get out broadly as the struggle against Trump fascism intensifies.
The rally marched a short distance to the governor’s mansion, where the organizers opened up the mic. Various individuals bitterly and boldly denounced the outrages perpetrated by Trump and Abbott, and the threat of worse to come. One 17-year-old woman from a small town choked back tears as she expressed her determination to resist “every day” despite her fear.
One of us got on the mic and asked “What do you call it when immigrants are kidnapped by masked thugs and sent to concentrations camps?” The crowd yelled back, “Fascism!” “What do you call it when whole cities like Washington DC are being occupied by armed forces?” “Fascism!”; “…when elected representatives are illegally locked up and put under threat of arrest…?” “Fascism!”
She said we should give props to Rep Collier for standing up to these fascists. People applauded enthusiastically. Then her speech continued. “But we have to come to grips with the fact that this fascism will not be resolved by elections, if there even will be elections. We cannot wait til 2026 or 2028! And do we really think that the guy who instigated the violent coup attempt on Jan 6 and then let the thugs out of jail is really gonna accept an election that doesn’t go his way?”
She read from the Refuse Fascism leaflet.
Beginning November 5, the one-year anniversary of Trump’s election, flood DC in nonviolent protest. Surround the White House. Surround the Capitol. Surround the illegitimate fascist-packed Supreme Court. Come back again and again. Across the country, refuse to comply. Every person of conscience, millions of us together, grind the machinery of the fascist regime to a halt.
Don’t stop until Trump is removed.
She stressed the importance of people getting to DC – yes, even from Texas – to flood the streets of the capital in unrelenting nonviolent protest starting November 5 and not stop until the regime is removed from power. This was clearly an audacious call but it resonated with this crowd.
Her talk ended by leading the crowd in the Refuse Fascism pledge: “In the name of humanity, we refuse to accept a fascist America.” Several people connected with us afterwards with a spirit of bringing our forces together.