DPS to shut down Capitol grounds ahead of Nakba Day rally

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Department of Public Safety said it will close access to the state Capitol Saturday night due to a "potentially large-scale protest event" on Sunday, according to a memo from the agency.

Sunday's "protest event" is a multi-organization effort to commemorate the Nakba (translated from Arabic as "catastrophe"), which was the "mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war," according to the United Nations.

"[TXDPS] anticipates a significant number of participants will attend this protest. TXDPS has determined the closure of the Capitol grounds is necessary to protect the safety and security of persons and property within the complex," the memo reads.

According to social media posts from the organizers, they had planned to bring buses of attendees to the Capitol from Dallas and Houston, which wouldn't have been a first for the Capitol. However, organizers said in a Friday afternoon social media post they had to cancel the buses due to the facility restrictions.

"When asked for an explanation behind the decision, the Department of Public Safety noted that the reason for the closure was not known and that the order was above their heads," read the post from the Palestinian Youth Movement. "Despite the hurdles that the state has thrown at us, we are determined to gather in Austin to protest, and we call on all people of conscience to join us. Our message to Abbott and DPS is clear: We wholeheartedly reject this cheap attempt to stifle our movement."

Since October 2023, multiple other pro-Palestinian rallies and marches have been held at the Capitol.