Hundreds Protest Scott Walker Speech in Concord

More than 350 workers gathered outside of a NH GOP event in Concord today to condemn Scott Walker’s anti-working family agenda and call for an apology following his recent CPAC comments equating working men and women with the terror group, ISIS, according to a press statement from Granite State Progress.

“Today I’m joined by working men and women not only from New Hampshire, but from across our region, who are under attack,” said NH AFL-CIO President Mark MacKenzie. “They are under attack by politicians like Governor Walker who has put his own political and corporate interests ahead of working families. It’s these interests, not working people, who are the central agenda of his campaign for President. We’re calling on Governor Walker to apologize for his comments at CPAC comparing working people with the group ISIS. Whether it’s attacking the rights of workers or attacking their patriotism, Governor Walker has shown that he’s not on the side of working families and we know that working families won’t be on his side.”

“I’m a retired letter carrier and Vietnam veteran. I worked for 35 years with the US Postal Service after my time in Vietnam,” said New Hampshire resident Lew Henry. “My service, both overseas and here at home, allowed me to provide for my family and make a good life for myself. It’s a right that all workers should have and that all workers are fighting for. But when Governor Walker said that our fight for worker rights was the same as the terror group ISIS, he went too far. There are millions of former veterans currently working across our country today, and many of them union members. They fought hard to make this country a safer place, and they don’t deserve to be compared to terrorists. Governor Walker should apologize – not only for his un-American comments on ISIS, but for his repeated attempts to silence the voices of workers.”

“We’ve seen what Governor Walker’s priorities are: taking away the voice and rights of workers, degrading workers by comparing us to terrorists, and saying whatever he needs to in order to become President,” said Jeff Bourque, a New Hampshire public school teacher. “The people you see here today have a different agenda – we want a voice in our workplace, we want respect from our so-called leaders, and we want an apology from Governor for his comments and his actions.”

Walker’s widely publicized and condemned comments attacking workers came only days before he signed legislation into law aimed at stripping critical rights and protections from workers in Wisconsin. At the press conference and rally, New Hampshire and regional labor leaders and workers promised to hold Walker accountable for his words and actions throughout his Presidential campaign in the First in the Nation Primary state.