Illustrative: Pro-Hamas protesters outside the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Photo: Ron Sachs via Reuters Connect
Anti-Israel demonstrators protested a program for the Orthodox Jewish community during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Tuesday, sparking widespread outrage and concern over the safety of Jewish attendees at the event.
Agitators attempted to storm into a side event hosted by Agudath Israel, an Orthodox Jewish organization, which was intended to focus on antisemitism and the growing electoral power of religious Jews in American politics. The demonstrators stood outside of the event’s doors chanting “Brick by brick, wall by wall, Zionism has got to fall” and screaming “Shame on you” to the attendees.
Ironically, Agudath Israel was established in the early 20th century to serve as an umbrella organization for religious Jewish who opposed the Zionist movement, although the group’s position has shifted over the years.
Jewish-focused events at the 2024 DNC have kept their locations under wraps to prevent disruptions from agitators. Though it is not known how the protesters located the event, it is presumed that they identified visibly Jewish DNC attendees and followed them.
The event featured speeches by Sen. Debby Stabanow (D-MI), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), and Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ).
The protest drew widespread condemnation from online commentators.
“You’d think at some point these protesters would ask themselves, ‘Are we the bad guys?'” Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior research analyst Joe Truzman wrote on X/Twitter.
“Jewish events at the DNC are held in undisclosed locations to protect participants from these brownshirts. To find the Jews, you have to work. These people went Jew hunting,” Jewish News Syndicate contributing editor Caroline Glick posted on social media.
“This wasn’t a Zionist event, it was a Jewish event. The attendees were targeted solely for being visibly Jewish. Only an antisemite would still deny that so-called anti-Israel protests are antisemitic,” the Coalition for Jewish Values posted on X/Twitter.
Separately, dozens of demonstrators were arrested outside the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest on Tuesday night, as US Vice President Kamala Harris was officially nominated as the Democratic nominee for president two miles away.
“We are appalled to see violence during the protest in front of our offices,” the consulate said in a statement. “This is anything but peaceful and completely contradictory to the spirit of the DNC. This vocal minority does not represent the vast bipartisan majority of Americans who stand strong in support of Israel.”
The consulate added it was “beyond disappointed” by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s “ongoing support” for anti-Israel protests across the city.
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. Protesters have recently prioritized calls for an “arms embargo” against the Jewish state.
A constellation of anti-Israel groups urged their supporters to descend upon Chicago to disrupt the DNC. Thus far, the protests have drawn far fewer participants than organizers expected. Only a few thousand demonstrators showed up to the “March on the DNC 2024,” on Monday, falling far short of organizers’ expected turnout of 30,000 to 40,000 people.
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