SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A small crowd of leftists gathered in downtown San Antonio on Friday afternoon for a May-Day-Strong demonstration in support of International Workers’ Day. The event quickly pivoted into a protest against a wide range of Trump administration policies as demonstrators chanted slogans and carried signs opposing billionaires, a planned ICE facility, the perceived U.S. embargo on Cuba, ICE agents, the war in Iran, U.S. military action in Venezuela, and in support of queer rights.
Breitbart Texas observed protesters as they shouted chants led by members of the San Antonio Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). Before the group marched through the tourist-lined streets just blocks from the historic Alamo, several local union leaders gave speeches on income inequality to a crowd of nearly 200 attendees.
(Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
The protest was attended by members of the local PSL, the Chicano Paramilitary Brown Berets, and members of several labor unions, including the Texas State Employees Union and the Communications Workers of America local 6186. Some protesters sported Palestinian Keffiyeh scarves and waved Palestinian flags, while other attendees with the Brown Berets held flags featuring the image of Argentine Marxist Che Guevara as they listened to the speakers.
Friday’s protest was part of a nationwide May Day Strong campaign focused on workers’ rights. The organizers of the events asked supporters to stage walkouts and engage in economic boycotts to demonstrate the power of organized labor. The protesters quickly pivoted from labor-related causes to a host of other left-leaning causes.
(Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
Protesters carried signs that read, “Workers Have the Power to Defeat Trump”, “CUBA Si Bloqueo No”, “Workers’ Rights are Queer Rights”, and “Shut Down I.C.E. Now”. Many of the signs were printed and provided by the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
The protests were endorsed and supported by several labor unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees, the parent labor organization of the U.S. Border Patrol, United Auto Workers, Starbucks Workers United, San Antonio City Employees Union, Texas State Teachers Association, and the Communications Workers of America.
Political groups supporting the protest in San Antonio included the Bexar County Democratic Women, Bexar Democrats, and the Democratic Socialists of America. As with other prominent national protests organized and supported by most of these groups, funding sources included well-known billionaires George Soros, founder of the Open Society Foundations, and Shanghai-based Neville Roy Singham, who is believed to have provided significant funding to the PSL, Code Pink, ANSWER Coalition, and The People’s Forum.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.