Union protesters at the Capitol may have been worried about the arrival of conservative groups at Saturday morning’s historic collective bargaining rallies, but tens of thousands of protesters from across the political spectrum peacefully gathered in support or opposition to Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill.
Doors to the Capitol opened at about 8:50 a.m. without any major incident. Police controlled access to the Capitol, forcing more people onto the streets for opposing rallies from conservative and union groups and decreasing the density inside the rotunda.
Police did not interfere in any major incidents or make any arrests, a statement from Madison Police said. Tea Party supporters and labor supporters did confront each other several times throughout the day, but a large staff of law enforcement officials prevented any major conflict from erupting.
The Tea Party rally featured major figures in the conservative blogosphere and radio circuit, including radio talk show host and
presidential candidate Herman Cain and prominent conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart.
Amid chants of “do your job!” from conservative activists, union protesters responded with ubiquitous phrases such as “this is what democracy looks like!”
The two labor rallies throughout the day featured leaders of major unions in Wisconsin including the Wisconsin Education Association Council and the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations.
While the protests continued inside the Capitol, neither the Assembly or Senate resumed debate on the bill at the center of the protests. A public hearing Assembly and Senate Democrats convened early Wednesday morning began again Saturday evening.
For more information on the events at the Capitol, follow @badgerherald on Twitter or continue reading badgerherald.com as news develops
