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At the Democratic National Convention, thousands of protestors have pledged to interrupt the convention for a whole week.
Tens of thousands of anti-war and pro-Palestinian activists are expected to descend on the city to demand that the United States cease its backing for Israel’s attack on Gaza. The authorities are preparing for a week of large demonstrations and disturbances at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
The United States Secret Service and local police enforcement have started constructing “a wall” around the main convention center in Chicago, which has already resulted in an increase in the level of security around the perimeter of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Residents of the neighborhoods around the United Center and McCormick Place, the two primary venues that are hosting events for the Democratic National Convention, have also reported witnessing road closures and various obstacles being erected.
There are a number of requests that have been made by the Democratic Party, and on Monday, more than 270 organizations that are united under the banner of “The Coalition to March on the DNC” said that they would march in favor of ending the United States’ support for Israel.
People from the state of Illinois and twenty-one other states are expected to take part in the events that will take place over the course of a week, according to the organizers. Approximately one hundred thousand fliers, urging members of the local community to take part in the events, are believed to have been distributed by volunteers in the city of Chicago alone.
“We are hoping to convey that a broad, diverse coalition consisting of the very people the Democratic Party claims to represent is opposed to this genocide and wants an end to all US aid to Israel,” Faayani Aboma Mijana, the spokesman for the coalition that will march on the Democratic National Committee, told Middle East Eye.
“This is not so much a turning point as it is a continuation of a long and protracted struggle for an advancement in rights for working people and people who are oppressed,” The leadership of the Democratic Party, which is responsible for the genocide, is most concerned about the fact that the movement for a free Palestine and for the rights of working and oppressed people will continue to expand and unite even more today, as Mijana said further.
In the Democratic National Convention (DNC), which takes place every four years, delegates from the Democratic Party make their official nominations for president and vice president, as well as decide on the platform of the party, in advance of the election that takes place later in the year.
In light of the fact that Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz have already been officially recognized as this year’s nominees, it is anticipated that the convention will be nothing more than a formality and a means of bolstering support for both candidates in front of the electoral contest that will take place in November between the Republican Party ticket, which consists of Donald Trump and JD Vance.
Protests in Chicago are taking place at a time when Israel’s assault on Gaza, which is supported by the government of the United States, is entering its eleventh month.
At the same time as Israel is continuing to decimate the besieged enclave, which has resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians to this point, the majority of whom were women and children, protesters have repeatedly demanded the United States government to stop delivering weapons to Israel.
The term “historical urgency”
Two marches are scheduled to take place on August 19 and August 22. These marches are being organized by the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Committee.
The group came to the conclusion that “Biden’s entire administration, along with high-ranking members of the Democratic Party from all over the country, has spent the last ten months wholeheartedly supporting the genocide in Gaza with our tax dollars,” and they made this statement.
According to the statement, “It is a matter of historical urgency that all organizations that fight for the rights of working and oppressed people in the United States join us in this demonstration to stand in solidarity with Palestine.”
Although it is anticipated that the majority of the action will take place on the streets, it is also anticipated that pro-Palestinian delegates will have the opportunity to make their opinions heard inside the convention itself.
At the beginning of the year, thirty delegates from the Democratic Party were chosen to represent the “uncommitted” movement. This was done in response to the fact that President Joe Biden has maintained his support for Israel. Delegates have said that they will not be backing Harris until she makes a commitment to change the policies that are associated with her ticket.
A demonstration that was held in the city for the first time in advance of the conference was attended by more than one thousand people on Sunday. While marching down Michigan Avenue, protesters voiced their opposition to Israel’s conflict in Gaza, as well as their support for abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.
In addition, a Democratic Party welcome party in Chicago was disrupted by a number of activists who assured delegates that they would continue to disrupt the party throughout the week.
The demonstrators yelled, “Welcome to Hell week,” as they entered the building.
There will be at least six significant demonstrations taking place on the streets of Chicago during the Democratic National Convention this week.
There will also be a number of additional activities, as anti-war activists who are dissatisfied with the two-party system will be looking to organize for third-party or other political alternatives.
