In Milwaukee, Fervent Voices of Protest under GOP Convention Spotlight
In amid the hasty hustle of Republican National Convention delegates, convened in Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum, 59-year-old activist and ‘agitator’ Nadine Seiler emerged as an enduring emblem of protest against the radical right’s Project 2025 and the political reign of Donald Trump, characterized by her as a “demagogue”.
Seiler, hailing from Waldorf, Md., participated in the demonstration, her passion and determination emblazoned on a homemade “Stop Project 2025” tiara and a placard held high in defiant opposition. She found herself as one of the scantily countable individuals protesting against the RNC and Trump in the vicinity south, marking an unexpected calm in the typical politically charged fervor enveloping such events.
The anticipations of heated protests seemed to fizzle at the very spaces designated for them – Zeidler Union Square and Haymarket Square. The age-old Zeidler Park, heralded as one of two ‘protest zones’ stood eerily devoid, save for a handful of journalists and a cluster of perplexed volunteers adorned in vibrant orange T-shirts.
In stark contrast, the arrival of Trump, set to accept the GOP nomination for the third consecutive time, in this historically democratic, progressive city engendered little uproar. Barring an estimated congregation of 800 individuals that marched in opposition to the RNC, the typically vocal voices against the GOP went largely unvoiced.
Factoring in the upsurge of militarized policing since the 1970s and a securitized ambiance ripe with imposing concrete barriers and significant police presence, it’s hard to decipher whether the want for dissent has all but vanished. Trump’s MAGA movement’s resilience amidst a whirlwind of indictments and impeachments has spurred experts to draw parallels between it and the fascists of yore who thrived due to citizens’ growing disillusionment.
Nevertheless, amongst the deafening silence that swallowed the downtown area, Seiler clung to her unwavering spirit of resistance as she pinned her hopes on publicity to propel her quest against Project 2025. Mission accomplished, Nadine.
