Communique republished from Texas Antifascist News
Editor’s Note: In recent weeks, focus has been placed on the AT&T Conference Center Hotel near UT for employing a Proud Boy named Dustin Casler. As we have said in a previous article, The Proud Boys are a fascist, “Western chauvanist” group founded by Gavin McInnes. They’ve frequently been found to have connections and overlap with outright Neo-Nazi groups. One of the defining features of the Proud Boys is a thirst for violence, expressed in things like calls to attack immigrants and attacks on anti-fascists, people of color, queer & trans folks, and others in the streets. After this news initially came out, antifascists began flyering and calling in attempting to get Casler fired. This article follows up on recent events surrounding that campaign and includes instructions on how to call in to pressure the Hotel.
Supporters inform us that Proud Boy Dustin Casler’s employment by the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center Hotel on the UT Austin campus has led to continued protests and other actions. Despite being notified by multiple organizations the company has failed to take appropriate actions to protect their guests, workers, and students.
Antifascists marched on the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center Hotel with signs informing guests, employees, and students of the threat posed by the Proud Boys, a fascist gang disguised as a fraternity. Proud Boys have organized violence in New York, Portland, and Charlottesville. Jason Kessler, who organized the deadly rally in Virginia, was at the time a Proud Boy.
Informational flyers alerting visitors and employees about Casler’s activities were also distributed, according to sources. In addition to attending Proud Boys events in Austin, Dustin Casler was a moderator on the (now discontinued) official Proud Boys web forum, using his own name.
The antifascists informed the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center that Dustin Casler’s employment will not be swept under the rug and that actions will continue until a public announcement is made of his termination.
They further suggest that all Austinites and antifascists abroad call (512) 404-1900 and demand Casler’s removal as a matter of public safety.
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