Above photo: USPCN Instagram.
If Democrats wanted a ceasefire, they would end military aid to Israel.
“We are committed to protesting the genocidal state of Israel beyond the DNC and holding both parties accountable.”
This week protesters have gathered outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to demand the the U.S. stop funding Israel’s brutal war on Gaza.
On Monday thousands of people met at Union Park before marching to the United Center, where the event is being held. The city had attempted to impose severe restrictions on the event and were ultimately able to reduce the planned the route.
The march was organized by a coalition of more than 220 groups.
“We rally, we march, and we continue to fight like hell for our rights!,” wrote the organizers in a social media post. “The Democratic Party has funneled billions of dollars to support a genocide that Israel is committing on the Palestinian people with our tax dollars and the people say no more! No more money for bombs and war, we want our money to go to free education, housing, and healthcare! We want justice for all of our communities all across the United States and we will fight for it until we get it!”
Mondoweiss spoke with Lara Haddadin, who has been an organizer with the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) since 2019, about the march, the ongoing protests, and the policies of the Democratic party.
I know the city had imposed restrictions on yesterday’s planned marches. Can you talk about that and what ended up happening with the route?
Lara Haddadin: At the very last minute, ended up negotiating a slightly longer march, but unfortunately, the city did not allow us the original march we had wanted. At first, they did not even want to allow us a stage, a sound system, porta-potties, tents, anything. But we were able to win those demands, but they didn’t let us do the original route.
What are your impressions of the protests so far? What kind of police presence have you encountered?
I would say people are really fired up and passionate about their commitment, not only to ending the genocide in Gaza, but about housing rights, workers rights, LGBTQ rights. You can tell that there is such a shared commitment to all of these different ideals.
I think it has created a really beautiful crowd of people that care about justice and humanity and want to see oppressed people become free of their oppressors. There has been a lot of police at these protests, which is what we were anticipating. We had heard in advance that out-of-state cops were coming and some police officers were housed for instance, in dorms at the University of Chicago, so we knew there would be heavy police presence.
However overall, the marches have been really safe. People have really been enjoying the ability to openly talk about their frustrations with the administration and their hopes and dreams for the future. And that’s been a really great thing to see.
Israel’s assault on Gaza has been going on for more than 300 days and your organization has been protesting it every step of the way. I’m wondering if you’ve seen any changes or shifts in terms of activism. Has the amount of people looking to become involved with your actions increased?
I think not just in America, but globally, we have seen an increased level of support for the liberation of Palestine.
The Palestinian people a want to end the genocide in Gaza and I think every single day we are seeing that Israel is losing. The media is becoming more honest about what is happening, although they still oftentimes lie. We’re also seeing the internet really bring light to a lot of situations that would not have otherwise been revealed.
We just saw the campus encampments popping up globally, we’ve seen protests happening all over the world. I do think that there’s been a huge shift in the general belief about Israel. I do think people are seeing Israel for what it really is, which is an apartheid state, a white supremacist state that is actively leading a genocide against the Palestinian people.
Yesterday we saw at least 15,000 people come out to protest and march. We’re still expecting more and more people throughout the week, so people are clearly still very passionate about this cause.
Every single day we continue to see more videos and pictures coming out of Gaza. I really feel because of the commitment of people in Gaza to record the atrocities that they’re going through, it has led to people, almost being unable to turn away and I think that’s helped keep people engaged as well.
There are obviously differing opinions on how left movements should engage with the Democratic party. This is also a unique election in that the President ended his campaign, which activists have adapted to in a variety of ways. Have you noticed some of those differences reflected in these protests?
I think the really great thing about the left is that although there is a diversity of tactics and beliefs, the one thing that seems to be a consistent thought throughout the left is that whether it is Harris or Biden, they are both complicit in this genocide. Democrats as a whole are complicit in this genocide, as are Republicans because they are actively sending billions and billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. They are funding this genocide directly.
So this isn’t about Harris or Biden as individuals. Part of it is, of course, but it’s about the larger order of the Democratic Party. It’s about leadership. It’s about the fact that they have upheld their commitment to the genocidal state of Israel for the last 76 years. That has been a consistent belief throughout the left when it comes to Biden, Harris, Walz as VP, just the general election as a whole.
A lot of people have said, “If you don’t vote then that’s a vote for Trump.” We recognize Trump is a danger. We marched on the RNC and many other leftist groups joined us and led that coalition as well. Folks protested when Trump came to Chicago. The left has been very united in their protests against Republicans as well.
However, Gaza is already destroyed. How much worse can things get in Palestine when Israel is committing one of the worst atrocities of the 21st century and live-streaming a genocide? I think that has been a very common belief throughout the left, I would say. One of the main things I would say people are most consistent about.
Democrats just released their party platform, which is very pro-Israel and takes a very hawkish position on Iran. During the first day of the DNC we only saw Gaza mentioned a few times. Biden actually mentioned the killing of innocent Palestinians, but drew a moral equivalence with Israelis who have been killed. What have you made of the convention so far?
I think, ultimately, what we believe is that the Democrats are a hypocritical party full of people whose main priority is protecting American imperialism and making sure that American colonialism continues globally, specifically in the Middle East.
Yes, there were minor calls for cease fires on stage during the DNC yesterday. We know that the Uncommitted Movement was able to have a panel, but at the end of the day, the same Democrats saying they want to cease fire are the ones voting to send military aid to Israel. They are the ones that are perpetuating anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab tropes leading to attempted murders and murders all across the country, including a six-year-old boy named Wadea Al-Fayoume in Illinois last year.
So, it’s not unexpected that they released a platform that was so pro-Israel. We know that that is their ultimate goal. We know that they have unequivocally supported Israel for the last 76 years.
As much as they call for a ceasefire, they do not actually want one. If these Democrats did want a ceasefire, they would end all military funding to Israel. They would stop funding this genocide. As you said, Biden compared the losses as if they have been equal and we know that that’s not true. With over 40,000 Palestinians dead, hundreds of thousands still buried under the rubble, we’re seeing increased levels of violence in the West Bank and all of occupied Palestine. We need more than just empty words and empty desires for a ceasefire. We need actual change. We need to see actual action.
We are committed to protesting the genocidal state of Israel beyond the DNC and holding both parties accountable.