People of Milwaukee respond to right-wing seizure of Capitol building in D.C.

Milwaukee, WI – On the morning of January 10, a coalition of left-wing organizations and community groups came together in downtown Milwaukee to put forward a people’s alternative to the chaos of the past week in the U.S. Capitol. The protest featured a speaker officially representing the Milwaukee Area Labor Council. The event, called “Rally Against the Far-Right – Build the People’s Movements,” drew nearly 100 people on foot and in cars.

There were three points put forward by the coalition: 1) “Trump out” and all who are complicit in his crimes; 2) Relief for the people now; and 3) End police crimes, including ICE detentions and deportations. The speeches from the different represented organizations centered around these three things.

“A lot of people have been talking about unity, but it’s important that we understand what unity means,” said Jacob Flom, a member of the executive board of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council and co-chair of the Young Workers Committee. “We don’t want unity with fascists; we want unity against fascists.”

The event featured a march from a meeting place in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward and ending outside the Milwaukee Federal Building where Senator Ron Johnson’s office is. Johnson is an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump and a voice for the racist mob that stormed Capitol Hill this past week. He also was directly responsible for blocking the increase of the second round of stimulus payments several weeks ago. Senator Johnson made the perfect local target for the rally.

Many of the speakers saw lessons of the past and shadows of the future in the events that transpired on January 6 in DC.

“We should expect to see more of this type of response from the far right in this country as the hangers-on attempt to stave off the final descent of this wretched system into the dustbin of history. History shows us what can happen when reactionaries organize to seize power amid crisis,” said Ryan Hamann, a leader with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Hamann continued, “We also know what it takes to prevent that from happening. We need to build the people’s movements, keep the struggle in the streets, and deliver the people’s justice to Donald Trump, his allies, and his enablers!”