Dems brace for impact of massive protests by anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian agitators at Chicago DNC

Democrats are bracing for tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protesters to descend on Chicago during the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Pro-Palestinian groups will be bussing in protesters to the city to demonstrate their displeasure about the Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East.

According to the Daily Mail, Hatem Abudayyeh, the national chair of the US Palestinian Community Network advocacy group told reporters that the protesters would be arriving by bus from nearby states and cities. Members of the network had a virtual meeting after Biden dropped out of the race and determined that nothing would change going into the week of the DNC.



“We’re not going to do anything different. We’re going to mobilize," Abudayyeh said. "Harris represents the administration; she represents Biden. There is nothing that she has expressed independently that tells us she does not support the policies."

The March on the DNC 2024 website states that there is a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups that will be marching on the event, including Black Lives Matter Chicago, Arab American Action Network, the Palestine Feminist Collective, Chicago Students for Justice in Palestine, and several others. The coalition's main demand is "Stand with Palestine! End US aid to Israel."

Harris is set to formally accept the nomination for the Democratic nominee for president next Thursday, August 22. The DNC kicks off on Monday evening. Biden will speak on the opening night and will be followed by former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton as well as Hillary Clinton.

There had been rumblings about the protests set to descend on the DNC when Biden was still in the race, however, since Harris took the nomination, talk of the protests died down a some, and her VP pick of Tim Walz has gotten the approval of the progressive pro-Palestine wing of the Democrat Party, including from Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Alexandira Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

 

Harris has called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. However, protesters have not ceased altogether over the topic and her connection to the US policies with Israel. During a fundraiser in San Francisco earlier in August, a rally of pro-Palestinian protesters, with some shouting "Killer Kamala" and other similar protests have occurred, per CBS News. At a New York City rally for Harris on Wednesday, 14 agitators were arrested. A sign plastered on the window of a restaurant read "No Votes for Bombala's Genocide."