United Auto Workers union demands Palestinian activist be platformed on DNC stage

As the DNC enters the last day, the United Auto Workers union, which has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take Joe Biden's place in the White House, has issued a demand that a "Palestinian American speaker" should be "heard from the DNC stage tonight." Their demand mirrors those of the Palestinian, anti-Israel activists who have staged ongoing protests outside the Chicago political convention.

"If we want the war in Gaza to end, we can’t put our heads in the sand or ignore the voices of the Palestinian Americans in the Democratic Party. If we want peace, if we want real democracy, and if we want to win this election, the Democratic Party must allow a Palestinian American speaker to be heard from the DNC stage tonight," the UAW said in a post.

This is a perspective shared by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Summer Lee, and Ilhan Omar, all of whom spoke with the Gaza protesters outside the convention. Harris has indicated that she's looking for a "new way forward," which could include a split from her current administration on Israel policy. 44 delegates at the convention voted present during a symbolic roll call rather than vote for her nomination for president, and their sole issue was the war in Gaza, for which they blame Israel and the US.

"Just as we must honor the humanity of hostages, so too must we center the humanity of the 40,000 Palestinians killed under Israeli bombardment,” AOC said. She spoke to organizers by phone while Omar and Lee went out to the sit-in to show their support.

UAW president Shawn Fain spoke at the DNC this week, calling Donald Trump a "scab" and insisting that Harris is a "fighter for the working class." From his place at the podium, he insisted that Harris is "one of us." 

The Democrat Party has, in fact, made a shift toward Gaza and Palestinians and away from Israel during the DNC this week, and that began with New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Joe Biden on Monday. Both of them mentioned the conflict in the Middle East, but did not mention Israel by name. While AOC insisted that it was time to bring the hostages home and called for a "ceasefire in Gaza," Biden said outright that the protesters outside the convention "have a point."

Some of those protesting the Democrats' pro-Israel policy in Chicago this week have praised the events of Oct. 7, 2023, in which Palestinian terrorists, accompanied by civilians, stormed into Israel to massacre 1,200 Israelis, including hundreds of young people at an outdoor music festival. These actions led to Israel declaring war, and that war has not come to an end. 

The United States, under the Biden-Harris administration, has been funneling aid into Gaza, where militant leaders have used that aid to further their fight against Israel. Many are going hungry as the aid has not reached them.

In December 2023, the UAW joined other groups in calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. "From opposing fascism in WWII to mobilizing against apartheid South Africa and the CONTRA war, the UAW has consistently stood for justice across the globe,” Region 9A Director Brandon Mancilla said. “That is why I am proud that the UAW International is today officially calling for a ceasefire in Israel and Palestine.”

The UAW said that "the Executive Board voted to form a Divestment and Just Transition working group to study the history of Israel and Palestine, the union’s economic ties to the conflict, and to explore how to achieve a just transition for US workers from war to peace."

While many ceasefire deals have been offered and brokered by the US and regional partners, Hamas has declined to accept any of the terms.