MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) -On October 18, 1967, the campus of UW-Madison saw a clash between police and student protestors at an anti-war demonstration.
The protest was held in opposition to the Vietnam War.
Students gathered to protest the “Dow Chemical Company” recruiting people on campus. The company made napalm, which is a flammable gas used on the battlefield by the US.
Students started the morning by blocking hallways and entrances in the Commerce building known today as “Ingraham Hall.”
Police officers began trying to make arrests after demonstrators denied entry for people interviewing with “Dow.” That led the gathering crowd to become more hostile.
After failing to disperse the crowd of thousands, officers began hitting protesters with riot sticks and dragging them out of the building.
The chaos continued as people moved outside, causing police to use tear gas for the first time ever on UW-Madison’s campus.
By the time the crowd eventually started to leave, 65 people, including multiple officers, were hurt.
The conflict is credited for politicizing many more people, and put Madison in the forefront in the national anti-war movement.
Thirteen student leaders were expelled from the school, and thousands more gathered for a protest outside “Bascom Hill” the next morning.
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