As the Democratic National Convention unfolded in Chicago, a large and vocal group of protesters gathered in Union Park to demand an end to U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Holding Palestinian and Irish flags, the demonstrators, numbering in the thousands, voiced their opposition to Israel’s military actions, accusing the United States of complicity in what they describe as a genocide against the Palestinian people.
Among the protesters was Rich Barnes, who expressed the sentiment that the issue is clear-cut. “Are we for mass murdering babies, or are we against it? To me, it’s a pretty simple equation,” Barnes said, emphasizing the moral urgency of the situation. The protest, dubbed the “March on the DNC,” specifically targeted Vice President Kamala Harris, who was being presented as the Democratic presidential nominee at the convention. The protesters warned that they would not support Vice President Kamala Harris unless she committed to imposing an arms embargo on Israel.
The protesters’ demands also included an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Despite Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledging the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, many protesters dismissed her statements as mere “lip service.” Amal Jaber, a teacher who traveled from Wisconsin to join the protest, voiced her skepticism about Vice President Kamala Harris’s sincerity, stating, “We need to see action. Palestinians are still being killed today. Unless we see real change, I don’t see the Muslim community in Wisconsin supporting Vice President Kamala Harris right now. Enough is enough.”
The demonstration was marked by signs linking Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden to the atrocities in Gaza, with messages such as “Both Democrats & Republicans have blood on their hands” and “No votes 4 Kamala until arms embargo 4 Israel.” The protesters expressed deep frustration with the Democratic Party, which they accused of continuing to support human rights abuses against Palestinians.
Although the convention was initially organized with the assumption that Biden would be the nominee, he withdrew from the race in July, citing concerns about his age and ability to lead. However, for many of the protesters, the change in the Democratic ticket made little difference. Their demands remained focused on ending U.S. support for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Despite Vice President Kamala Harris’s recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where she described the war as “devastating,” her refusal to support an arms embargo has disappointed many antiwar activists. Inside the convention, the antiwar movement was also represented by dozens of “uncommitted” delegates who protested Biden’s Gaza policy by voting “uncommitted” in the primaries. These delegates, like the protesters outside, are pushing for a significant shift in U.S. policy toward Gaza, including a ceasefire and an end to military aid to Israel.
As the convention continues, protests are expected to persist, underscoring the deep divisions within the Democratic Party over U.S. policy in the Middle East. Kwabena Ampofo, a U.S. military veteran participating in the protest, warned that the demands of the demonstrators will not be easily dismissed. “This isn’t going away,” Ampofo said. “This is an issue that — I’ve never seen in my almost 30 years of life — transcends so many people’s lives.”
Chicago, with its significant Palestinian community and history of political activism, served as a fitting backdrop for the protests. Demonstrators expressed a sense of betrayal that the Democrats chose to hold their convention in a city that recently passed a Gaza ceasefire resolution, while continuing to support actions that the protesters see as genocidal. The protests have become a defining feature of the convention, highlighting the growing rift within the Democratic Party over its stance on Israel and Gaza.
