A planned Jan. 29 visit by Vice President Dick Cheney was unexpectedly cancelled Thursday, spoiling the plans of activists from both sides of the political spectrum to demonstrate at his speech.
Cheney was to speak before the Wisconsin Manufactures and Commerce event at Monona Terrace but cancelled due to scheduling conflicts and security concerns, said Jim Pugh, the group’s spokesman.
Dennis Coyier of Democrats For Peace said his group’s plan to attend the event had not changed with the news of Cheney’s cancellation.
“People will be there whether or not Cheney is there,” he said. “We’ll have literature to pass out. Whether that literature is anti-war or anti-Cheney, I don’t know.”
Prior to the cancellation, Coyier downplayed security concerns, saying, “I don’t expect any trouble. There’s a consensus that there won’t be any violence.”
Nick Cekosh of the College Republicans said his group would be there to demonstrate in support of the administration.
“I expect it to have a decent turnout,” he said. “We’ll be there either to volunteer or be counter-protesting.”
Cheney’s change of plans was not a surprise to Madison Area Peace Coalition activist Rae Vogeler, who said Madison’s reputation for anti-war sentiment probably played a role in the vice president’s decision.
“I’m not surprised,” Vogeler said. “Madison has a long history of anti-war activism. They got wind we were going to protest.”
However, Vogeler said any security concerns or threats of violence were “ridiculous. It’s right in our mission statement on the website. We are a non-violent organization.”
Coyier agreed but said that any problems that would arise would develop from paperwork.
Although MAPC activist Ben Masel obtained a permit to gather on Martin Luther King Boulevard, in front of the Terrace, Coyier said he did not think any of the counter-protest groups had done the same.
“I don’t believe [the College Republicans] have a permit to be there,” he said. “Maybe not even to get onto Wilson Street.”
When asked about the future events, in addition to the Terrace event, Vogeler and Coyier said they both plan to involve their organizations in an anti-war demonstration Feb. 18 at the intersection of State and Mifflin streets on Capital Square at noon. The demonstration will coincide with a larger rally in Washington, D.C. that will protest possible war in Iraq.
Cekosh, however, believes the voices of those supporting the Bush administration have often been drowned out by the loud criticism from a group of people that does not accurately represent Madison or the University of Wisconsin.
“We support the president wholeheartedly,” Cekosh added. “There’s a lot more there that people haven’t heard.”
