The opposition movement against the proposed budget repair bill received more national attention Monday with the appearance of Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello to invigorate crowds with an acoustic performance.
The event was the capstone to another day of protests at the Capitol which drew approximately 4,900 people with no major incidents or arrests, Capitol Police spokesperson Carla Vigue said. The concert at Monona Terrace capped attendance at 5,000.
While there were less people were in the Capitol building than in past, protests could be heard from Bascom Hill.
Morello, also known as The Nightwatchman, was joined by MC5 co-founder Wayne Kramer, Boston-area Street Dogs and regional act Ike Reilly in the “Rally for YOUR Rights” concert, hosted by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees at Monona Terrace to promote workers’ rights in the midst of protests against Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed bill.
Morello began the show by declaring, “I’m a union man,” and said he is a member of both a Los Angeles musicians’ union and International Workers of the World, a sentiment that drew cheers from the crowd of University of Wisconsin students and community members.
He said the 24 hours he spent in Madison have been some of the most inspiring of his life and the entire state of Wisconsin will serve as an example of workers standing up for their rights to the rest of the country and the world.
“This is what your right-wing governor tried to do,” Morello said. “Whenever there’s an economic recession or hardship, they take advantage of that to ram through legislation that would roll back decades of social progress.”
He also hailed the peaceful coexistence of teachers, firefighters, students and public service workers occupying the Capitol with members of the police force.
Morello said the protests in Madison are an example of citizens directly participating in making history and the next big revolutionary change may happen unexpectedly in your backyard.
Morello also said the presence of participants in the rallies of every age, race and creed indicates the strength and positive energy of the movement and he urged protesters to stand strong in order to defeat the “horrible” bill.
Morello performed the classic Rage Against the Machine anthem “Guerilla Radio,” saying the song was played when the Berlin Wall fell and he hopes a similar song will be played both if the bill fails and Walker is recalled as governor.
All of the evening’s performers joined Morello on stage to perform Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” as an expression of unity among members of the opposition movement.
Morello also read a letter he received from one of the chief organizers on the revolt in Tahrir Square, Egypt, and said the whole world is watching the response of the protesters in Madison.
Josh Kissel, a UW sophomore, said he attended the rally because he had testified in the public hearing and spent an evening overnight at the Capitol in protest of the bill.
He said though Morello’s political message provided a more radical view of the situation, he appreciated the theme that the battle would not end quickly.
“He made it about more than just killing the bill,” Kissel said. “We have to keep fighting because it’s not going to end easy and we have to pursue progressive change.”
