Hundreds gathered at Capitol Square Tuesday for the annual “May Day” rally for immigrant and workers’ rights, as similar scenes played out in cities across the country.
While the event is traditionally an arena to air a variety of worker-rights grievances, Tuesday’s gathering took on even more weight in light of the nation-wide Occupy movement and the state’s contentious political atmosphere.
After an accordionist played a union-themed song, speakers for advocated unity against injustice.
President of UW-Madison’s Student Labor Action Coalition Tina Treviño-Murphy appealed for both immigrants’ and workers’ rights and criticized UW-Madison’s contract with adidas, which has been accused of not paying their workers due severance.
“Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere, and we will fight for it every time, in solidarity!” Treviño-Murphy yelled as she rallied the crowd.
Many protesters came to decry Gov. Scott Walker and his controversial removal of collective bargaining rights for public workers.
“I don’t think [Walker]understands what Wisconsin needs to move forward,” protestor and UW-Madison graduate student Naomi Williams said. “People need to afford to buy groceries, but his policies don’t take that into consideration.”
While Madison’s event was peaceful, demonstrations throughout the country broke out in violence.
Tear gas dispersed crowds in Oakland while police mobilized against protesters in New York. Seattle’s mayor issued an emergency declaration after protestors rampaged throughout the downtown, smashing windows and spray-painting cars.
