Photo caption:
Janesville resident Jennifer LaFave and her two children Veronica Ciastka, left, and Rudy, take part in a protest on Capitol Square against the World Trade Organization Saturday.

UW-Madison students and community members gathered at the Farmers' Market Saturday morning to protest trade negotiations at the current World Trade Organization meeting in Cancún, Mexico.

Approximately 30 concerned people gathered at 10 a.m. at the Capitol corner of Carroll and Mifflin Streets intending to create a lot of racket and raise awareness about the WTO meeting.

Sandy Welander participated in the protest and helped to organizing the event.

"The biggest reason people are upset with the WTO is that they do not allow citizen input into their policies," he said. "They are very undemocratic."

He stated that various people and groups got together to organize the event. Madison Fair Trade Action Alliance, environmentalists and the Student Labor Action Coalition were involved in the protest, among others.

Protesters grabbed items such as pots, pans, bowls and drums and beat them with spoons and drumsticks at varying beats and volumes. According to an informational brochure protesters handed out, they did this in order to recreate a form of protest originating in South America called "cacerolazo."

"We purposely chose this type of protest made famous two years ago in Argentina," protest participant Dawn Fancher said. While people are all diverse, we have common interests-we are all in this together and we have more in common with each other than with elites."

After demonstrating on the corner of Carroll and Mifflin for approximately 45 minutes, the group marched counterclockwise in the streets around the Capitol twice and then gathered again at the State Street entrance to Capitol Square. They then marched down State Street toward Library Mall.

The loud banging generated feedback from vendors and market patrons.

"Their flier says that the WTO is a risk to small farmers. A lot of people here are small farmers and they are hurting business," said David Jordan of Jordan Produce, whose stand is on the corner of Carroll and Mifflin. "No one wants to listen while they buy."

Katy Broker-Bullick, a UW-Madison junior and worker at the Stella's Bakery stand on the corner of Mifflin and Carroll, had a different opinion.

"I think it's a really good thing. Corporate greed is out of control," Broker-Bullick said. "Although a lot of people think it is obnoxious, I think it's a good thing to raise awareness. Business was hurt by the rain anyways."