Black gun rights activists demand ‘closed borders’ in Austin protest
A group of armed black Second Amendment activists marched through Austin over the weekend and called on the US to close its borders and put an end to illegal immigration.
The protesters, gathered together by the Elmer Geronimo Pratt Gun Club, moved through the city toward the Texas Capitol on Saturday in what they called the “Second Amendment Unity Walk.”
As they marched through the streets, the activists chanted in support of closed borders and against immigration, according to footage shot by journalist Ford Fischer.
“What do we want?” one protester asked.
“Closed borders,” the group yelled back.
“When do we want it?” the protestor asked.
“Now,” the group replied.
In another chant, the protesters told immigrants to go back to their home countries.
“Immigrants, we’ve been here,” a woman yelled into a megaphone. “Take your a– home,” the group chanted in response.
One woman attempted to start a “Build the wall” chant in reference to former President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to construct a border wall between the US and Mexico.
However, her attempt didn’t go over well.
“Yeah, let’s not do that,” one person replied.
Following the march, Elmer Geronimo Pratt Gun Club founder Nick Bezzel said the group isn’t opposed to immigration but takes issue with illegal immigration.
“A lot of times, jobs are taken away from black people because of illegal immigration,” Bezzel said. “Black people are locked out from employment due to illegal immigration, so we want to stop illegal immigration so black people can make living wages.”
The group’s calls for an end to illegal immigration come as Republican state leaders like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey have shipped migrants from their states to liberal sanctuary cities and towns like New York City, Washington, DC, and Martha’s Vineyard.
The black gun rights group’s key demands, however, were for reparations for the descendants of slaves and a hate crime bill to specifically protect black Americans.
“There is a debt owed to black Americans who descended from child slavery,” Bezzel said to the group.
