People hold signs and flags in support of Palestinians in Gaza as demonstrators rally on the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, US, Aug. 19, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Far fewer protesters showed up to anti-Israel demonstrations outside of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago this week than expected, according to reports.
Only a few thousand demonstrators showed up to the “March on the DNC 2024,” falling far short of organizers’ expected turnout of 30,000 to 40,000 people.
Reporters covering the DNC, where the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee will be announced this week, shared pictures of large piles of unclaimed signs sitting on the ground. The signs read “Victory to the Palestinian Resistance” and “End US Aid to Israel!”
The pile of unclaimed signs at the pro Palestine protest/march on the DNC an hour after it began. Organizers were hoping for 30-40k. The crowd is maybe 1/10th of that size? Crowd covering less than half this 3 softball field sized park. pic.twitter.com/Ba3agQvmfU
— Cameron Joseph (@cam_joseph) August 19, 2024
The majority of anti-Israel protesters outside the DNC marched “peacefully,” according to reports. However, some activists breached the outer security perimeter of the conference, which was being held in the United Center. The police scuffled with the agitators and repelled them from the premises.
“At no point was the inner perimeter breached, and there was no threat to any of the protectees,” the Chicago Police Department posted on X/Twitter.
Rally participants bellowed chants accusing US President Joe Biden and his vice president, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, of supporting a so-called “genocide” in Gaza. Protesters are demanding that the US government cease all aid to Israel and freeze weapons transfers to the Jewish state.
Some demonstrators suggest that Biden’s decision not to run for re-election has mollified many pro-Palestinian voices. After ending his presidential campaign, Biden immediately endorsed Harris for president.
“If it was still Biden, I think there would be a lot more people out here. It’s a very different attitude. I think people are hoping against hope that she’ll do the right thing,” a protester told the Christian Science Monitor, referring to Harris.
“We were hoping that there’d be more,” another protester added.
In the months following Hamas’ slaughter of 1,200 people and abduction of some 250 hostages throughout southern Israel on Oct. 7, protesters have marched across the US to demand a ceasefire between the Jewish state and the Palestinian terrorist group in Gaza. Many of these protesters have openly celebrated the Oct. 7 massacre and praised Hamas as the “Palestinian resistance” to Israel.
Since the launch of her presidential campaign, Harris has expressed empathy toward anti-Israel activists in an apparent attempt to curry favor with younger and progressive Democrats. However, she is reportedly opposed to imposing an arms embargo on America’s closest ally in the Middle East and the only democracy in the region.
Harris skipped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the US Congress in July to attend a sorority convention, raising doubts about her support for the Jewish state. After holding a private meeting with Netanyahu, Harris vowed to “not be silent” about civilian casualties in Hamas-ruled Gaza, where for the past 10 months Israel has been waging a military campaign to free the hostages kidnapped on Oct. 7 and dismantle the terrorist group’s military and governing capabilities.
Prior to an August campaign event in Michigan, Harris met with members of the “Uncommitted National Movement” — an initiative which encouraged voters to withhold support from Biden in protest of his backing of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The Harris campaign denied reports that she agreed to meet with Uncommitted leaders to discuss a potential arms embargo against Israel.
Harris also reportedly arranged a secret meeting with Abdullah Hammoud, the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, the state with the largest Arab population in the US. Hammoud has repeatedly condemned Israel’s military operations in Gaza, accusing the Jewish state of committing a “genocide” in Gaza and an “ethnic cleansing” in the West Bank.
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