Thousands of protesters are set to march outside the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at Chicago’s United Center, targeting the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel in the war on Gaza. The protests, organised by left-wing and Arab- and Muslim-American groups, are expected to overshadow Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential nomination ceremony.
Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the Arab American Action Network and a protester, compared the situation to “our generation’s Vietnam War,” stressing that the protests are against the entire Democratic Party, not just Biden or Harris. Some protesters have even called Harris “Killer Kamala.”
The D.N.C., which runs from Aug. 19-22, will conclude on Thursday, with Harris delivering a primetime speech after formally accepting the party’s nomination.
The anti-Israel protests will include two marches — one on Monday before President Biden’s arrival at noon and another on Thursday before Harris’ acceptance speech at 5 p.m. Protesters will camp in Chicago’s Union Park, a 10-minute walk from the United Center.
Israel launches military operation in Gaza. Hamas attack on southern Israel on 7 OctoberIn which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
The international community has criticised Israel for the large number of civilian deaths. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports that More than 40,000 people have been killed in Gaza According to the BBC, more than 1,000 people have been killed since the war began.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, Who won the presidential nomination after the virtual roll call Joe Biden withdrew from the race on July 21, but he has not yet released a clear policy on Gaza and Israel.
The Democratic Party, not Harris or Biden, is the target
Hatem Abudayeh, executive director of the Arab American Action Network, emphasized that the target of the protests is the Democratic Party, not individual leaders.
“The target is the Democratic Party, not Joe Biden personally or Kamala Harris personally … She is just as involved in this as Biden is,” Abudayyeh said, the Post reported.
He cited Harris’ opposition to an arms embargo on Israel as evidence that her attempt to appear more “sympathetic” rings hollow.
Abudayyeh also warned that if Harris loses to former President Donald Trump, the Democratic Party would be responsible.
“If Kamala Harris loses [former President Donald] He said, “Trump has nothing to blame but himself. This is our generation’s Vietnam War.”
Protesters called Harris ‘Kamala Killer’
Protests were initially expected to be massive when President Biden was the party’s presumptive nominee, but his Decision to withdraw from the White House race And supporting Harris has led to some uncertainty over the scale of the protests.
Despite this, organisers still expect thousands of participants.
Harris faced disruptions at rallies, including one in Detroit where protesters chanted, “We will not vote for genocide.”
In response, Harris sternly told him, “If you want Donald Trump to win, say so”And then he shook his head, looking with a cold gaze.
This response received mixed reviews, with some praising her candor while others found it disrespectful to the communities the activists represent.
Abudayyeh said the notion that protests against the D.N.C., Biden and Harris mean the community is supporting Trump is false.
“People were very upset by that — because there’s this perception that protesting the DNC, protesting Biden, protesting Harris means that somehow our community and others who are protesting are supporting Trump, and that’s so far from the truth,” he said, the Post reported.
Some protesters even called Harris “Killer Kamala.”
Despite the swap of tickets, Abudayyeh predicted that “there’s not really going to be much difference”.
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