CHICAGO (AP) — Several thousand protesters marched toward the Democratic National Convention on its opening day Monday to voice their opposition to the war in Gaza, while Chicago officials said they were committed to keeping the demonstrations peaceful.
As the crowd approached the United Center, where the conference was being held, dozens of protesters managed to breach a police fence. Officers wore gas masks while some in the crowd tried to pull down a second fence that had been set up in front of police, who shouted at the protesters to back off.
The march began as President Joe Biden, who has been the target of intense criticism from pro-Palestinian groups, including marchers, was touring a largely empty United Center. Biden was scheduled to address the event in the evening.
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“Biden, you can't hide. We charge you with genocide,” protesters chanted amid beating drums, calling him “Genocide Joe” and directing similar chants at Vice President Kamala Harris.
Protesters said their plans had not changed since Biden left the race, and the party quickly rallied behind Harris, who will formally accept the Democratic nomination this week. Activists said they were ready to amplify their progressive message before the nation’s top Democratic leaders.
“We must play our part in the belly of the beast to stop the genocide, end US aid to Israel and stand with Palestine,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesman for the Coalition for the March to the Democratic National Convention, which includes hundreds of organizations.
Protesters marched along a mile-long route that ended at a park near the United Center, with hundreds of police officers lining the streets. The heavy police presence at the march included Chicago Police Chief Larry Snelling, who walked in a group of officers ahead of the protesters.
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Mayor Brandon Johnson said authorities were well prepared. “The city of Chicago is really good at this kind of thing. We're prepared,” he said at a news conference.
Watch the press conference below.
Organizers had hoped at least 20,000 people would take part in Monday's demonstration, but only a few thousand appeared to be present when the march began, though city officials declined to give an estimate of the number of participants.
“We are proud to participate, especially given the degree of repression from the city,” said protest organizer Fayani Aboma Mijana.
The Chicago area has one of the largest Palestinian communities in the country, and buses transported activists from all over the country.
Taylor Cook, an organizer with the Socialist Freedom Road, traveled from Atlanta to participate in the march. Cook said the group was urging all Democrats to call for a halt to aid to Israel, with a particular focus on Harris.
“We’re telling Kamala that she was complicit in this,” Cook said. “People think it’s just about Joe Biden, but she’s the vice president. So we’re telling her, ‘You have to stop if you want our votes.’”
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Medea Benjamin, who traveled to Chicago from Washington, D.C., with a group of women-led protesters demanding peace, said she was shocked by the Biden administration’s recent approval of an additional $20 billion in arms sales to Israel.
“There is an incredible contradiction between what people in this country are calling for and what the administration is doing,” she said before the rally in Union Park. “We are absolutely disgusted by this.”
Pro-Palestinian supporters gathered in the park west of the Loop business district to participate in the demonstration.
Before the march, independent presidential candidate Cornel West addressed the crowd, who welcomed him with cheers.
“This is not about Machiavellian politics or electoral calculations,” he shouted into the microphone. “This is about morality and spirituality.”
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About 40 pro-Israel supporters wandered around the park during the demonstration. They remained mostly silent, waving Israeli flags, and were accompanied by about 20 police officers on bicycles. Although tensions flared at times, no physical confrontations occurred.
“Our goal was to make our presence felt,” said Josh Weiner, a co-founder of the Chicago Jewish Coalition who marched with the pro-Israel group. He said the group applied for permits that the city did not approve.
“The pro-Palestinian protesters had multiple permits, including for a march, which seemed to be a bit one-sided,” Weiner said.
Snelling praised police and march organizers for their peaceful protest Sunday night for abortion rights, LGBT rights and an end to the war in Gaza. Chicago police said two people were arrested on misdemeanor charges of resisting police and property damage.
“Listen, it’s that simple. The Chicago Police Department is here to protect everyone in this city,” Snelling said. “What we will not tolerate is intimidation. We will not tolerate violence.”
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The issues that concern the protesters include climate change, abortion rights, and racial equality, to name a few, but many agree that the push for an immediate ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas is the main message of the demonstrations. They have likened it to their generation’s Vietnam War.
Chicago, which has hosted more political conventions than any other city in the United States, has been unable to avoid comparisons to the infamous 1968 convention when violent clashes between police and anti-Vietnam War protesters erupted live on television.
Some businesses have boarded up their windows as a precaution, and county courts have said they will open more spaces in case of mass arrests. Chicago police say officers have undergone extensive training in constitutional policing and de-escalation tactics.
Coalition activists and the city have been at odds over the location of the protests and other logistics. A judge sided with the city over a roughly 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) march route that organizers said was not large enough for the expected crowds.
No speakers or spectators had arrived as of early afternoon at the speakers’ platform set up by city officials near the United Center. Eight groups with progressive agendas have signed up for 45 minutes of talks Monday. On other days, some conservative groups, including the Illinois Policy Foundation, are planning to speak.
The Philadelphia-based Poor People's Army, which advocates for economic justice, also planned events Monday in Humboldt Park on the city's northwest side with independent presidential candidates Jill Stein and West, as well as a three-mile (five-kilometer) march.
