Security fence breached by Gaza war protesters at convention

[Pelican Press 0]

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Security fence breached by Gaza war protesters at convention

Thousands of marchers took to the streets for a mostly peaceful protest near the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on its opening day, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to US support for *******.

But several demonstrators were arrested when dozens of them broke through a security fence around the Chicago venue.

The turnout appeared to be well below the tens of thousands that organisers had hoped for and short of the 15,000 they claimed turned out.

The protest highlighted divisions over one of the most contentious issues on the left of ********* politics, US support for *******’s war in Gaza.

Monday’s march unfolded as President Joe Biden appeared briefly at the ******* Center, a sports arena that is hosting this week’s DNC, hours before his speech to the party faithful.

At one point during the protest, a small group of pro-************ demonstrators knocked down a fence around the convention security perimeter and streamed through.

Chicago Police said the protesters did not breach an inner security fence and that the situation was quickly contained. At least four people were detained.

The demonstrators chanted slogans including “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, which ******* hate monitors say is an antisemitic call for the destruction of the state of *******. Pro-************ activists deny the slogan is hateful.

Earlier in the day, a small contingent of pro-******** counter-protesters briefly rallied on the edge of Union Park, where the pro-************ march began and ended.

Many of the Gaza war demonstrators said they saw little difference between Mr Biden and his Vice-President Kamala Harris, who is formally accepting the Democratic White House nomination this week after the president dropped out of the race last month and endorsed her.

“The Democratic Party may present a new face, but its support for ******** repression ******** unchanged,” said Omar Younes, a co-founder of Jisoor, a ************ youth organisation in Chicago.

Another protester, Tallis George Munro, said he would definitely vote for Ms Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, but did not want to give them a “free pass” on their support for *******’s war in Gaza.

Mr Munro, from Cleveland, Ohio, said he was more worried about what he described as a “******* threat” – the policies of *********** nominee Donald Trump.

“We are close to white ********** nationalism with Trump,” he said. “That is the biggest problem in this country now.”

Other protesters told the BBC they would vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, or they would not vote at all.

The rally-goers also heard from independent presidential candidate Cornel West, a philosophy professor and left-wing activist.

“This is not about some Machiavellian politics or some utilitarian calculation about an election,” he told the crowd. “This is about morality.”

The march drew people from neighbouring states and further afield. Karyna Lemus attended as a member of the Colorado Springs People’s Coalition.

She said she’s been involved in the ************ rights movement for decades.

“I hope they hear us inside,” she said of the DNC delegates.

Protests will continue for the rest of the week during the convention.

The ******** military launched a campaign in Gaza to ******** ****** in response to an unprecedented ******* on southern ******* on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were ******* and 251 taken ********.

More than 40,000 people have been ******* in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s ******-run health ministry.

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