Texas protesters took to the streets outside the state Capitol in Austin on Tuesday to protest a new round of closures related to the coronavirus, with at least one wielding a sign that said, “Bar Lives Matter.”

Images posted on social media showed additional signs displaying phrases including “Texas bars fight back,” “Stop the unconstitutional lockdown,” and “This is not Nazi Germany!” Demonstrators were protesting an order from Gov. Greg Abbott (R) that shuttered bars around the state for a second time this year in an effort to diminish a new surge in coronavirus infections. The state reported more than 6,900 new confirmed coronavirus cases on June 30, a one-day record that pushed the state’s total above 160,000.

A Facebook page for the protest showed more than 900 people registered to attend the event.

HAPPENING NOW: The “Texas Bars Fight Back” protest is happening outside the Texas Capitol to protest the closing the bars statewide. pic.twitter.com/NPLen0fFmF

— Kacey Bowen (@KaceyonFox7) June 30, 2020

Protesters are upset @GovAbbott shut down bars in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19. More than 30 bar owners are suing over the executive order. Protesters are demonstrating at the State Capitol and soon at the Governor’s Mansion. @KVUE pic.twitter.com/MaRSILqIxk

— Jenni Lee (@JenniL_KVUE) June 30, 2020

Abbott’s order closed bars deriving more than 50 percent of their revenue from alcohol sales effective June 26 and limited restaurants to 50 percent capacity as of June 29. The move put Texas in line with states including Florida — where the state Department of Health closed bars for a second time on June 26 — and New Jersey, where Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said this week that he was postponing plans to reopen indoor dining due to “knuckleheads.”

More than 30 Texas bar owners announced Monday that they were filing a legal challenge to Abbott’s order. The Houston attorney handling the lawsuit, Jared Woodfill, said Abbott was “acting like a king,” saying in an interview, “He’s sentencing bar owners to bankruptcy.”

from Mediaite https://ift.tt/3dPgTY0