CHICAGO: Thousands of mostly peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters marched in Chicago on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention on Monday, in a show of anger against the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the Gaza conflict.

After hours of peaceful demonstrations, several protesters broke through part of the perimeter security fence, drawing riot police to the site, a witness said.

Police in blue helmets with shields and carrying black batons prevented them from getting to the inner cordon.

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” of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Witnesses saw four people detained and placed in handcuffs. Chicago police confirmed at a press conference that arrests were made but did not say how many.

Another protest planned for Thursday, when Kamala Harris is due to accept nomination

Chanting intensified ahead of the fence breach, as protesters reached a neighborhood park on Chicago’s West Side and paused to amplify their calls for a ceasefire.

Amid the noise, the crowd turned its frustration toward Vice President Kamala Harris, referring to the Democratic candidate as “Killer Kamala”.

Still, the umbrella group “March on the DNC” drew fewer supporters than expected to a park outside the convention arena, hours before President Joe Biden was to address the gathering.

They started a one-mile march near where Democratic delegates will nominate Harris as their candidate to face Republican Donald Trump in November’s presidential election.

Several 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.

Roman Fritz, at 19 one of the youngest Wisconsin delegates, wore a scarf imprinted with the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh pattern. He said he supported Harris as the party nominee to beat Trump. Some protesters were doubtful that the party would change its platform.

“It’ll never happen,” said Mwalimu Sundiata Keita, who travelled from Cincinnati, Ohio, to join the protest.

Another large protest has been scheduled for Thursday when Harris is due to formally accept the nomination. Pro-Palestinian groups have for months protested the Biden administration’s military and financial support for Israel in its conflict against Hamas.

Protests swelled on US college campuses in the spring, with police clearing student encampments, at times after confrontations between protesters and counter-protesters. “The Democrats are the ones in power,” Abuday­yeh said on Monday. “It’s their war. They’re responsible for it, they’re complicit, and they can stop it.”

The Gaza conflict has been a hugely divisive issue for the Democratic Party ahead of the November 5 election. It has threatened to alienate Muslim and Arab-American voters, once a reliable Democratic voting bloc, particularly in key battleground states.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2024