Anti-Israel agitators are planning large demonstrations for the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago, as such protests have taken shape across the U.S. amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
"I think people really need to see it as the equivalent of the 1968 DNC in Chicago," Deanna Othman, a resident of Little Palestine, Chicago, which is home to a large population of Palestinian-Americans, told the Washington Post.
The DNC will take place August 19 through August 22 and anti-Israel organizers are expecting "tens of thousands" of people to show up to demonstrate.
"We don’t expect any changes — we’re still anticipating that there will be tens of thousands of people in the streets," national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Network Hatem Abudayyeh told the Post.
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"Unless she clearly takes a stance and says this is not okay… that door is shut," Abudayyeh said of Vice President Harris, now the official Democratic nominee for president. President Biden's administration has been criticized over his position on the Israel-Hamas war.
One of Harris' recent rallies was interrupted by anti-Israel protesters. The vice president told them the Biden administration was working hard to get a cease-fire deal and to get the hostages home.
"You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking," she said, addressing the protesters directly.
"We should demonstrate as Americans until the genocide is over and humanitarian aid is flooding into Gaza," Aladdin Nassar, another Little Palestine resident, told the Post. "It almost doesn’t matter who the president is, or the candidate. When you’re looking at the enormity of the suffering and what’s happening, it almost feels like what she’s doing is a rhetorical exercise until or unless there’s an actual change in policy."
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Two anti-Israel agitators were arrested at NASCAR’s second annual Chicago Street Race in July after locking themselves inside the fence for 40 minutes.
The activists held up a sign that took aim at Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker that read, "[Pritzker]: We charge genocide" and "Bombs for Gaza, prisons for Illinois."
Anti-Israel protests also took over college campuses across the U.S. this spring, as some universities canceled graduation ceremonies and transitioned to online classes.
