Anti-Israel protesters threaten to ruin Kamala Harris' nomination as thousands march outside Chicago DNC

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Many anti-Israel protesters are set to march outside the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago while protesting against the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel. They have also threatened to tarnish Kamala Harris’ presidential nomination fest.

Demonstrators are expected to protest every day of the convention and, even though their agendas vary, many protestors agree that an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war is the priority, the New York Post reported.

Anti-Israel protesters threaten to ruin Kamala Harris' nomination

A coalition of mostly left-wing, Arab, and Muslim-American groups have planned two protest marches, the first and largest on Monday, August 19, before retiring President Joe Biden’s evening appearance and then on Thursday, August 22, at 5 pm, before Harris’ acceptance speech.

Hatem Abudayyeh, the executive director of the Arab American Action Network, said, "The Democratic Party is the target and not Joe Biden as an individual or Kamala Harris as an individual … She’s just as complicit as Biden is."

He added, "If Kamala Harris loses to former President Donald Trump, then they have nobody to blame but themselves. This is the Vietnam War of our generation."

Protesters will camp at Chicago’s Union Park, a roughly 10-minute walk from the nearby United Center that serves as the main convention venue.

Massive attendance had been anticipated at protests when Biden was the party’s presumptive nominee. However, his decision to retire on July 21 and endorse Harris has cast doubt over the scale of protests. Organizers say they still expect thousands of participants.

Biden has been decried as "Genocide Joe" at large during passionate protests, including the one in November 2023 when thousands of demonstrators painted the White House’s gates red while chanting, "F*** Joe Biden."

Reason for the anti-Israel protest

Several protestors agree that an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war is the priority. It is set to begin on Sunday, August 18, on the convention’s eve with an abortion rights march along iconic Michigan Avenue, according to PBS News.

Organizer Linda Loew said that despite Democrats having pushed to safeguard reproductive rights at home, the issue is international. They will march in solidarity with people everywhere who struggle for the right to control what happens to their bodies. She said they will also protest the money the US spends to back wars that could be used for healthcare.

She said, "We believe that the billions of dollars that continue to flow to the state of Israel and the flow of weapons are having an inordinate and horrific impact, but in particular on women, children, and the unborn. All of these things are tied together."

Organizers say they expect a minimum of 20,000 activists, including students who protested against the war on college campuses. 

Liz Rathburn, a University of Illinois Chicago student organizer, said, "The people with power are going to be there. People inside the United Center are the people who are going to be deciding our foreign policy in one way or another."