Protesters outside Democratic convention focus on Kamala
Protesters have rallied outside the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in the US on its opening day, saying they are determined to voice their opposition to the war in Gaza and other issues.
“We have to play our part in the belly of the beast to stop the genocide, to end US aid to Israel and stand with Palestine,” Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC, told The Associated Press.
Organisers said they hoped the turnout for the march and rally in Chicago would be at least 20,000.
Protesters said their plans have not changed since President Joe Biden left the presidential race and the party quickly rallied behind Vice President Kamala Harris, who will formally accept the Democratic nomination this week.
Taylor Cook, an organiser with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, traveled from Atlanta for the march. Cook said the group was pushing all Democrats to call for an end to aid to Israel with a particular focus on Harris.
“We’re saying to Kamala, she has been complicit in this. People think it’s just Biden, but she is vice president,” Cook said. “So we’re saying, you need to stop if you want our vote.”
Palestine supporters protest on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois
Chicago: Largest city with Gaza ceasefire resolution
The thousands of demonstrators outside the Democratic National Convention site are only the latest push in Chicago to protest against Israel’s war in Gaza. Chicago has the distinction of being the largest city in the US to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the conflict.
Only Los Angeles and New York have larger populations.
The Chicago ceasefire resolution, however, passed by a tight margin in February. The city council was evenly split over the issue, with progressive Mayor Brandon Johnson casting the tie-breaking vote.
Thousands of protesters gathered near the convention at Union Park in Chicago
The protesters hope to encourage the Democratic Party to halt its support for Israel’s war in Gaza and push for a ceasefire
Democratic Convention protesters to Harris: Israel arms embargo or no vote
Rich Barnes says that opposing Israel’s war in Gaza is not a complicated issue.
“Are we for mass murdering babies, or are we against it? To me, it’s a pretty simple equation,” he said, holding Palestinian and Irish flags near the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Monday.
Barnes was one of thousands of protesters who blanketed the grass of Union Park, blocks away from the Democratic National Convention, to demand an end to United States support for Israel’s war.
As the Democrats gathered at the convention to present Vice President Kamala Harris as their presidential nominee, several Palestinian rights advocates told Al Jazeera that they will not vote for Harris unless she agrees to an arms embargo against Israel.
The demonstration, dubbed the “March on the DNC”, also demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
People protest against presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza in Chicago on Monday
