Continuing protests to put pressure on Wisconsin legislators will come to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus this weekend. “Stop the Hate: Build People’s Unity” will be held on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. at UW-Madison’s Library Mall, 728 State St.
Another rally in support of a ceasefire in Gaza, labor and against hate will be held this coming Saturday at UW-Madison. “Stop the Hate: Build People’s Unity” is the latest amalgamation of efforts from activist groups around Wisconsin to call for action from legislators to push for a ceasefire, protect labor and address recent instances of hate group activity around the state.
In November, Neo-Nazi group, the Blood Tribe, marched in Madison. The group previously marched at a Watertown Pride Month event in July 2023 to call for the lynching of gay, lesbian and bisexual people, WKOK reported.
The rally is largely in response to the Neo-Nazi instances around the state in an effort to build unity behind a common cause. The rally is also part of continued efforts to call for Wisconsin legislators to call for a ceasefire.
The last rally, with the same mission, drew out the largest ceasefire protest in Wisconsin to date. As host of “We Rise Fighting!,” a labor podcast, Brian Pfeifer sees the continued rallies mounting efforts from Wisconsinites to fight hate and call for a ceasefire.
“The threat of the Nazi, or other fascist measures, we take very seriously because they of course are not just talking about… being hateful, but they are also talking about genocide back in Watertown,” Pfiefer said.
Pfeifer points to examples of going after labor groups, like unions, as a way for hate groups to rise and parallels it to the current conflict in Gaza. He noted the strength of unions and their organizing skills as prime groups to combat hate. He ties union and labor efforts around the world to efforts to support Palestine.
“Workers are central at the point of production and distribution in terms of weapons manufacturers,” Pfeifer said. “Bombs need to be made and then transported, among all the other things that are happening with the United States shipping these, so workers are especially essential to shutting down the war machine that is creating the ongoing, genocidal apartheid in Palestine.”
