NEW YORK, Aug 20 : Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched in Chicago on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Monday, in a show of anger against the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the Gaza war, now in its 11 month.
The 4-day convention, in which more that 50,000 delegates from across the country are participating, is being broadcast live. It is set to officially endorse Vice President Kamala Devi Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee for the November presidential election in which she will face the Republican challenger, former president Donald Trump.
Monday’s massive protest against the Biden administration actions in the Israel war in Gaza is a sharp reminder of the divisions that still dog the party despite a show of unity for its new candidate.
About 5,000 protesters gathered in Chicago’s Union Park on Monday, carrying signs reading, “Stop the War,” “We’re trying to help you, Kamala” and “Abandon Harris ’24.”
After hours of peaceful demonstrations, dozens of protesters broke through part of the perimeter security fence, drawing riot police to the site, TV footage showed.
The DNC’s security team confirmed that protesters breached a portion of the fencing on the outer perimeter near the convention arena but said law enforcement personnel acted quickly and there was no threat to attendees.
Four people detained and placed in handcuffs. Chicago police confirmed at a press conference that arrests were made but did not say how many.
Chanting intensified ahead of the fence breach, as protesters reached a neighbourhood park on Chicago’s West Side and paused to amplify their calls for a ceasefire. Amid the noise, the crowd turned its frustration toward Vice President Kamala Harris, referring to the Democratic candidate as “Killer Kamala”.
Chicago police formed a perimeter around the park on foot to contain protesters, with some police members on bikes.
Still, the umbrella group “March on the DNC” drew fewer supporters than expected to a park outside the convention arena, hours before President Joe Biden was to address the gathering.
Another large protest was scheduled for Thursday, when Ms. Harris is due to formally accept the nomination.
Pro-Palestinian groups have for months protested the Biden administration’s military and financial support for Israel in its war in Gaza, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials.
Protests swelled on U.S. college campuses in the spring, with police clearing student encampments, at times after confrontations between protesters and
“The Democrats are the ones in power,” Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the Arab American Action Network, on Monday. “It’s their war. They’re responsible for it, they’re complicit, and they can stop it.”
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