Pro-Gaza protesters stay put in Chicago, rap US unconditional support for Israel

In Chicago, where Vice President Kamala Harris officially launched her presidential campaign at the Democratic National Convention, thousands of protesters have gathered nearby for the third consecutive day, demanding an immediate ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip and an end to US military support for Israel.

Anti-Israel chants resonated through the streets surrounding the United Center in Chicago, where thousands of Democratic delegates and supporters assembled on Wednesday to formally nominate Harris as the party’s presidential candidate.

Protests continued throughout the convention, which started on Monday, with demands for the US to cease its support for the occupying entity, which has launched a genocidal war on Gaza since early October, killing so far more than 40,000 Palestinians.

“Just like in 1968, there’s nothing to celebrate!” pro-Palestine protesters shouted, drawing parallels between this Democratic National Convention in Chicago and the previous one held in the Windy City during a violent crackdown on anti-Vietnam War demonstrators decades earlier.

Just as Hubert Humphrey lost the 1968 election to Richard Nixon, the protesters warned Harris that they would not back her unless she ends Washington’s unconditional support for the Tel Aviv regime.

“DNC your hands are red, over 40,000 dead,” the protesters chanted as they waved Palestinian flags while marching in the streets.

Protesters gathered at Union Park and began chanting before marching toward the United Center stadium, where the convention was taking place.

US police arrest pro-Palestine protesters outside Israeli regime’s consulate in Chicago

The US police have arrested dozens of pro-Palestine protesters outside the Israeli regime’s consulate in Chicago as they demanded an end to the occupying entity’s onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

With a strong police presence in place, protesters were prevented from getting close to the venue. Whenever the protest neared the convention center, police officers blocked the road leading to the security perimeter set up around the venue.

“The turnout is amazing, and it’s a reflection of our call for justice and how big the Palestinian movement in Chicago is,” Jinan Chehade, one of the activists leading the chants, told Al Jazeera, agreeing that Wednesday’s protest had been the largest of the 2024 convention.

Protesters are primarily focusing on pressuring Democratic leaders to halt Washington’s arms sales to Tel Aviv.

The US remains Israel’s most important ally and biggest supplier of arms. It has provided Israel with weapons and intelligence support during the Gaza war and blocked UN resolutions calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the besieged Palestinian territory.

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