US President Joe Biden has said that protesters against Israel’s offensive in Gaza who demonstrated outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago “have a point”, AFP reports.

Protesters briefly breached the outer security fence of the DNC, hours before Biden passed the torch to new nominee Kamala Harris.

Biden did not directly address the security lapse in his hour-long speech, but he said “those protesters out in the street, they have a point. A lot of innocent people are being killed, on both sides”, adding that it was time to “end this war”.

A small group of around 100 demonstrators broke off from a larger march involving thousands of people and targeted the metal barriers surrounding the United Center on the first day of the Democratic Party’s gathering.

Police in blue helmets with shields and carrying black batons prevented them from getting to the inner cordon. One demonstrator clad in black was carried out by their arms and legs by several officers, an AFP correspondent saw. Police later advanced on a park near the convention centre to clear it of demonstrators.