Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has invited the state’s veterans to hold their annual Veterans Day parade on the south steps of the state Capitol after the city of Austin shut down its parade due to “overreaching” COVID-19 requirements.
Abbott issued a statement on Tuesday to voice his concern over the cancelled event and invite the Austin Veterans Parade Foundation to join him on the Texas state Capitol’s south steps.
“The City of Austin’s overreaching COVID requirements have forced the Austin Veterans Parade Foundation to cancel their annual event,” Abbott tweeted.
“I’m inviting them to host a rally on the south steps of the Texas State Capitol,” he added. “We celebrate our nation’s heroes in Texas.”
The City of Austin’s overreaching COVID requirements have forced the Austin Veterans Parade Foundation to cancel their annual event.
I’m inviting them to host a rally on the south steps of the Texas State Capitol.
We celebrate our nation’s heroes in Texas. pic.twitter.com/0BsyIBGQF3
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 9, 2021
“The State of Texas will always support our military veterans,” Abbott said in the statement.
“We are committed to ensuring that the traditions of Veterans Day are kept alive in the capital city,” he added.
The foundation previously announced its parade had been cancelled in a statement on its website and Facebook.
“Due to Covid restrictions from the Austin Public Health Department, this year’s Veterans Day Parade will not take place in Austin,” the statement read.
“The restrictions required the Austin Veteran Parade Foundation to verify all participants and spectators to have either a current negative Covid test or be vaccinated.”
“This is something that we could not do as we anticipated some 30,000 attendees to the parade. We are hopeful that in 2022, the restrictions on public gatherings will be back to normal.
“In lue of the parade, we are working with the City of Austin and the Austin Veterans Commission to dedicate the Veterans Park on Nov. 11th,” it added.
The foundation had instead planned to dedicate its Veterans Park at 9:30 a.m., according to a Facebook post last week.
It is unclear if the group has officially accepted the governor’s invitation yet.
The cancellation marked the second consecutive year in which the parade has not been held. The event was also cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.