Anti-Israel groups have been gearing up for massive protests at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, with a few different coalitions scheduling marches and events against the American political system or to pressure presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris to adopt their policies.
The largest protest coalition, March on the DNC 2024, boasts a coalition of over 200 Muslim, Arab, progressive, and socialist organizations, including post-October 7 demonstration notables like the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Code Pink, Palestinian Youth Movement, ANSWER Coalition, National Students for Justice in Palestine, and US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. Coalition groups expect tens of thousands to protest the convention.
The coalition will live-stream its event from Monday to Thursday, opening with a press conference, rally, and march “within sight and sound of the DNC to make our voices heard.” Speakers and musical guests will speak and perform at Chicago’s Union Park.
March on the DNC’s chief demand is to end all US aid to Israel, describing the Jewish state on its website as the “USA’s landed aircraft carrier in the Middle East to control the region – with its huge oil reserves – for the profits of US corporations.”
Legalizing all illegal immigrants
The group also had secondary demands for legalizing all illegal immigrants, the codification of abortion rights, the right for unions and workers to strike, and “community control” of police forces.
USPCN on Saturday showcased signs it had prepared for the march, including placards accusing the Democratic Party of “funding genocide.” Marxist-Leninist group People’s Power Assembly shared on Instagram on Saturday a banner that called for “victory to Palestine.”
The coalition said its event permits had been denied immediately after application and that, if need be, it would file legal proceedings.
March on the DNC said on Thursday that it would be taking measures to ensure the safety of its activists, including marshals to organize the marches and “to act as a buffer between protesters and police, hecklers, or bystanders.” The group warned that police and strangers would “surveil” and photograph participants and that legal organizations like the National Lawyers Guild Chicago would be present to aid. The coalition also warned of potential police violence and noted that in the vicinity of the DNC, drones, firearms, weapons, certain backpacks, and other items would be prohibited by the US Secret Service.
‘Genocide Joe and killer Kamala’
More radical factions, however, dismissed and ridiculed the March on the DNC’s emphasis on safety and “begging” for a city permit. The Shut Down the DNC coalition of Palestine Action US, Behind Enemy Lines, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-associated Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network described their own event as a political battle and called for escalation. The coalition decried President Joe Biden and his vice president as “genocide Joe” and “killer Kamala.”
“We’ve insisted since the beginning of this campaign that ‘sight and sound’ are not enough, that this convention must be shut down, and refused to engage with careerists and opportunists,” Behind Enemy Lines said on August 9. “Get ready to throw down against the criminals who are invading Chicago to celebrate their genocide.”
The coalition scheduled several protests and workshops throughout the week, with a Tuesday protest at the Israeli consulate.
The Uncommitted National Movement, which pushes for Democratic Party delegates not to commit to a candidate unless they adopt anti-Israel policies such as an arms embargo, was set to hold protests throughout the US on Sunday. The group’s “ceasefire delegates” plan to hold a daily vigil and will wear a shirt calling for a ceasefire of the Israel-Hamas war.
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