Thousands march against Gaza war at Democratic convention
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After hours of peaceful demonstrations on Aug 19, dozens of protesters broke through part of the perimeter security fence, drawing riot police to the site.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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CHICAGO - Thousands of mostly peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters
After hours of peaceful demonstrations, dozens of protesters broke through part of the perimeter security fence, drawing riot police to the site, a Reuters witness said.
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.
Reuters witnesses saw four people detained and handcuffed. 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 towards 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 personnel on bikes.
Still, the umbrella group March on the DNC drew fewer supporters than expected to a park outside the convention arena, hours before Mr Biden was to address the gathering.
They started a 1.6km march near where Democratic delegates will nominate Ms Harris as their candidate to face Republican Donald Trump in November's presidential election.
Organisers had expected tens of thousands of protesters – enough to fill the park and the march route – Mr Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesman for March on the DNC, said early on Aug 19.
By afternoon, though, several thousand protesters had gathered for speeches and the park was only half full.
The coalition of more than 200 groups includes those advocating for a variety of causes from reproductive rights to racial justice.
Many people were coming from Palestinian and Arab communities in Illinois and neighbouring states, organisers said last week.
Mr Roman Fritz, 19, who was one of the youngest Wisconsin delegates, wore a scarf imprinted with the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh pattern.
He planned to participate in the march but had no plans to disrupt the official events later, and said he supported Ms Harris as the party nominee to beat Trump.
Dozens of Muslim delegates and their allies, angry at US support for Israel's offensive in Gaza, are seeking changes in the Democratic platform and plan to press for an arms embargo, putting the party on guard for disruptions to high-profile speeches at the convention.
Some protesters were doubtful that the party will change its platform.
"It'll never happen," said Mr Mwalimu Sundiata Keita, who travelled from Cincinnati, Ohio, to join the protest. "It's the policy of the party to support Israel, and until that policy changes, that's the way it's going to be."
Mr Senan Shaqdeh, 54, a member of the executive committee of the Palestinian American Organisations Network, said additional buses from as far away as Florida were expected to deliver more protesters to the site of the march throughout the day.
"The Democratic Party should not expect business as usual," Mr Shaqdeh said.
Another large protest was scheduled for Aug 19, when Ms Harris was due to formally accept the nomination.
Pro-Palestinian groups have for months protested the Biden administration's military and financial support for Israel during its war against Hamas, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials.
Israel launched the offensive after it was attacked on Oct 7 by Hamas militants
The protests swelled on US college campuses
"The Democrats are the ones in power," Mr Abudayyeh said on Aug 19. "It's their war. They're responsible for it, they're complicit, and they can stop it." REUTERS
