Gaza war protests disrupt Democratic Convention security in Chicago

Aug. 20, 2024, 5:41 a.m.

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Protesters against Israel’s war in Gaza briefly breached the outer security fence of the Democratic convention in Chicago Monday, hours before US President Joe 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” of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Advertisement 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.

Officers clad in blue helmets, equipped with shields and black batons, prevented the protesters from reaching the inner security cordon. An AFP correspondent observed one demonstrator dressed in black being carried away by several officers, held by their arms and legs.

Protest groups have called for mass demonstrations throughout the week against the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel’s war on Hamas following the Palestinian militant group’s deadly October 7 attacks.

Chicago police said in a statement that protesters “breached a portion of anti-scale fencing along the Democratic National Convention’s outer perimeter.”

“Law enforcement personnel were immediately on-scene and contained the situation. At no point was the inner perimeter breached, and there was no threat to any protectees,” police said.

Law enforcement officials subsequently moved towards a park adjacent to the convention center to disperse the protesters.

Chants of “Free Palestine” and “Let’s March” continued as about half a dozen holdout activists, one wearing a pink gas mask, began to leave.

The Gaza conflict has been a highly contentious issue for the Democratic Party in the lead-up to the November 5 election.

This has raised concerns about alienating Muslim and Arab-American voters, who have historically been a reliable voting base for the Democratic Party, especially in key swing states.

Advertisement Biden, in his speech, said his administration will keep working to “bring peace and security to the Middle East.”

“We’re working around the clock… to prevent a wider war and reunite hostages with their families, and surge humanitarian health and food assistance into Gaza now, to end the civilian suffering of the Palestinian people, and finally, finally, finally deliver a ceasefire and end this war.”