HOUSTON, Texas — Hundreds of Texans, many of them armed, gathered in Houston’s Herman Park to protect a statue of former Texas President Sam Houston. Supporters of the statue responded to what they believed to be a threat from Antifa to remove it from the park like other historic monuments removed in recent months.
The rally, dubbed #StandWithSam drew hundreds of supporters to the park located near the Texas Medical Center and Rice University to gather around a statue of Sam Houston. Houston led the Texas revolutionary army against Mexico and served as president of the Republic of Texas, governor of the states of Texas and Tennessee, a member of Congress from both states, and a U.S. Senator from Texas. He served as governor of Texas when the State adopted resolutions of secession. The legislature removed him from office when he refused to accept the resolution.
Our side Stands with Sam ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Posted by Sheryl Shaw on Saturday, June 10, 2017
An invitation to the rally posted on Facebook by “This is Texas,” stated, “Antifa has come out saying they will be bringing several large (communist) groups together to host a rally around the Museum District in Houston, Texas on June 10, 2017. This list includes Black Panther Party, Antifa & more. Their goal is to remove the Sam Houston statue.”
The invitation continues:
The details of the “THIS IS TEXAS” counter rally goes as follows. We will met at Memorial Hermann Park – 1000 hours. We invite all III%ers, Oath Keepers, Militias, Tea Partiers, Liberty Loving Texans, Liberty Loving Americans, Open Carry Organizations, and anyone who loves Texas & wants to protect our sovereign soil & history to join us. Open carry is welcomed & encouraged as well as any armor or ballistic vest. We have contacted Houston PD and gave them a heads up of our counter-protest. Emails have been sent to Gov. Abbott & Houston City Hall as well. Bring your flags and fly them high!
Across the country, and elsewhere in Texas, statues from Civil War era Confederate leaders have been removed from public viewing.
While attending the rally, Facebook user Steve Spence posted a video from Overpasses For America. In his post, he stated, “This is what we love about Texas. People know how to stand up and fight for their rights. Notice it is peaceful, so far. The leftists will move in dressed up as Klan members for FAKE news shots. Communist agitators may be bused in as well. We’ll see.”