AUSTIN, Texas — It was not a large group that gathered outside the Texas Capitol Monday afternoon. But members of the Texas Industry Service Coalition attracted the attention of "Info Wars" and that made it a loud event.
One by one, speakers told the crowd that if Gov. Greg Abbott plans to open businesses 100% on Wednesday, all service workers should be vaccinated.
Since restaurant and bar staffers, janitors, grocery store employees and journalists have been working since the start of the pandemic, group members said they should be considered front-line workers as well.
One of the speakers, Karen Hamilton, said she has heart and other medical conditions. She said she was forced to quit her job recently because the business planned to open 100% on Wednesday.
"We don't have anywhere near herd immunity to be able to [not] have a mask mandate and to be able to have everything operating at 100%," Hamilton said.
It wasn't long after Hamilton spoke that people wearing "Info Wars" T-shirts and holding camera phones starting making their way toward the podium.
That triggered organizers to block them.
Eventually, so many people crowded a female speaker that the speaker raised her voice at one of the "Info Wars" staffers, telling them to move. That escalated tensions and attracted several state troopers to the protest.
The law enforcement officers stayed nearby, but the situation dissipated.
Even after the protest, there was still a battle over who can be the loudest with the audio system. But the event ultimately ended peacefully.
Editor's note: There may be inappropriate language in the video below.
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