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Protest Under Fire: Fall 2024 Special Conventions Issue

September 22, 2024 Defending Rights & Dissent. , , ,
It’s a powerful tool to force confrontation and shake up the status quo. From writing letters to protesting in the streets, from occupations to boycotts, our democracy demands that people have the freedom to exercise their constitutional rights, to hit the streets and speak loud. But all too often, police meet protests with violence and prosecutors punish activists. Over the past decade, we’ve faced a new wave of state and national legislation that seeks to criminalize protest. In this quarterly publication, we examine the policies and practices that threaten First Amendment rights. We’ll also uplift the fights taking place in courtrooms, capitals, and on the street to defend the right to protest.

US Military Policy Stoking Risk Of Nuclear War On Korean Peninsula

September 20, 2024 Ju-Hyun Park, Truthout. , , , , , , , , ,
U.S. politicians can’t stop talking about Kim Jong Un. The two major party conventions have come and gone, with both presidential candidates mentioning the North Korean leader by name. At the Republican National Convention (RNC), Donald Trump claimed Kim had endorsed him, adding, “He misses me.” Just weeks later at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), Kamala Harris alluded to her opponent’s claims, declaring before an enraptured audience that the “tyrant” Kim is “rooting for Trump.” Neither candidate told the truth. The North Korea’s state news agency was swift to respond to Trump back in June, clarifying the position of the government with characteristically pointed remarks: “No matter what administration takes office in the U.S., the political climate, which is confused by the infighting of the two parties, does not change and, accordingly, we do not care about this.”

The Sound Of Enforced Silence

August 30, 2024 Patrick Lawrence, Scheer Post. , , , ,
Is there some connection, — not quite official but it may as well be— between censorship and presidential politics? I pose the question as a survivor of the Russiagate years, when illiberal liberals started talking about “free-speech absolutists,” and when corporate journalists cheered the censoring of unincorporated journalists so long as it was called “content moderation.”

From Kente Cloths To Keffiyehs: The Legacy Of Liberal Gaslighting

August 29, 2024 Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright, Black Agenda Report. , , , , ,
Last week during the Democratic Party’s annual convention in Chicago, the story wasn’t just about the speakers who took the stage. For all of the hoopla surrounding compelling speeches offered by Democratic Party brass including the Obamas, the Clintons, and the Vice President herself, all of this was overshadowed by who was not allowed to speak - Palestinian Americans and, in particular, the Uncommitted Delegate movement who secured over 700,000 protest votes against the Biden administration for their continued military support of the State of Israel and its ongoing genocide of the people of Gaza.

Hundreds Of Police Smother Palestine Solidarity Protests Outside DNC

August 24, 2024 Mike Ludwig, Truthout. , , , , , , ,
Israel’s assault on Gaza and the resulting humanitarian crisis is not getting much airtime on the main stage of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Inside the convention hall, Democratic leaders act as if the death toll of 40,000 Palestinians is an uncomfortable fact to avoid during a celebration of party unity. But outside the convention, where protesters gather alongside the long columns of police guarding a massive security perimeter, Palestinian liberation is center stage — at least until riot cops intervene. With only a few fleeting references to Gaza in speeches at the convention, some Democratic leaders have attempted to placate the thousands of protesters outside by declaring support for a ceasefire deal that remains elusive after months of negotiation.

11,000 March For Palestine On Final Day Of Democratic National Convention

August 24, 2024 Fight Back! News. , , ,
Chicago, IL – More than 11,000 people marched for Palestine on the final evening of the Democratic National Convention, August 22. While Kamala Harris was giving her presidential nominee acceptance speech inside, the protesters outside chanted against the U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza. Delegates inside the convention report hearing demonstrators on the streets inside the convention hall. Despite pressure from police (hundreds of them clad in riot gear), demonstrators remained in the streets after the 8 p.m. permit deadline expired. The protest was organized by the Coalition to March on the DNC, which includes more than 270 organizations.

Palestinian Rights Advocates Hold Sit-In After DNC Refuses Speaking Slot

August 23, 2024 Jake Johnson, Scheer Post. , , , ,
Delegates from the “uncommitted” movement led a sit-in outside of the Democratic National Convention and refused to accept no for an answer late Wednesday after the party reportedly declined their request to provide a mere five minutes of onstage speaking time for a Palestinian American to speak to the horrors unfolding in the Gaza Strip, which Israel has been bombing relentlessly with U.S. support for more than 10 months. DNC organizers did not say publicly why they are refusing to allow a Palestinian American to speak at the event at Chicago’s United Center, which is located in the county with the largest Palestinian American population in the U.S.

Final Day Of Chicago DNC Convention Protests

August 23, 2024 Unicorn Riot. , , ,
Chicago, IL — On the last day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, protests are continuing at Union Park to oppose the DNC and shed light on the U.S.-funded ongoing violent occupation of Palestine by Israel.

Palestine Supporters Protest At Israeli Consulate On Day Two Of DNC

August 22, 2024 Dan Feidt, Unicorn Riot. , , ,
Chicago, IL – Demonstrators demanding the U.S. end support for mass killings of Palestinians in Gaza gathered outside the Israeli consulate in the Accenture Tower at 500 West Madison St. Groups calling for the protest included Behind Enemy Lines, Palestine Action US, and the Palestinian prisoner support network Samidoun. After an attempted snake march around several blocks, police arrested more than 70 participants and several journalists. Later that night a couple dozen people ran a noise demo outside a large DNC delegate party at the Salt Shed venue, more on that below. Happening near a heavily police-guarded West Loop Gate-area building as the Democratic National Convention at the United Center entered its second night; Chicago Police shut down the Madison St. entrances of the Ogilvie Transportation Center adjacent to the Accenture Tower.

Democrats Who Say They Want A Ceasefire Vote For More Military Aid

August 21, 2024 Michael Arria, Mondoweiss. , , , , ,
“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.

The DNC Fiddles While The World Burns

August 21, 2024 Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies, CODEPINK. , , , , , , , ,
An Orwellian disconnect haunts the 2024 Democratic National Convention. In the isolation of the convention hall, shielded from the outside world behind thousands of armed police, few of the delegates seem to realize that their country is on the brink of direct involvement in major wars with Russia and Iran, either of which could escalate into World War III. Inside the hall, the mass slaughter in the Middle East and Ukraine are treated only as troublesome “issues,” which “the greatest military in the history of the world” can surely deal with. Delegates who unfurled a banner that read “Stop Arming Israel” during Biden’s speech on Monday night were quickly accosted by DNC officials, who instructed other delegates to use “We Joe” signs to hide the banner from view.

DNC Swarms With Police As Activists March For Palestine, Abortion Rights

August 21, 2024 Mike Ludwig, Truthout. , , , , , , ,
Protests against the Democratic National Convention DNC) kicked off on Sunday night with hundreds of people marching for Palestinian liberation and reproductive justice under a notably heavy police presence in downtown Chicago. The Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws march showcased the palpable anger greeting Democrats in the streets as they arrive in Chicago for three days of celebrations ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’s official nomination for president. The protest was organized by a coalition of Palestine solidarity, LGBTQ and reproductive rights groups that are frustrated with the Democratic Party’s failure to halt U.S. support for Israel’s war on Gaza and protect abortion rights in the decades before the Supreme Court threw out Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Democrats Propose No Change On Unflinching Support For Israel

August 21, 2024 Natalia Marques, People's Dispatch. , , , , , , , , ,
Following the first day of the Democratic National Convention, which runs from August 19 to 22 in Chicago, delegates voted to approved the 2024 Democratic Party platform. Notably, the platform still reads: “President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats are running to finish the job.” While there are still no concrete policies outlined in the Harris-Walz official campaign website, the 2024 Democratic Party platform can be seen as the first glimpse into what this administration promises to offer to the people of the US. Many were waiting to see if the platform would indicate any changes to the Democratic Party’s unconditional support for Israel, given the mass movement for Palestine ongoing in the US since October 7.

Chicago Firefighters Protest For New Contract During 2024 DNC

August 21, 2024 Niko Georgiades, Unicorn Riot. , , , , , ,
Chicago, IL — Just blocks away from the United Center, where the 2024 Democratic National Convention is being held, Chicago firefighters are protesting for a new contract. Patrick Cleary, President of the Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2, said they’ve “been without a contract with the city for over three years” and are “trying to turn up the heat” by protesting during four days of the DNC. Cleary said the main issues are manning variances, Battalion chief aides the need for 20 more ambulances. “The city has neither accepted nor rejected our proposals. They’ve been dragging their feet for three years and we’re trying to turn up the heat.”

As DNC Kicks Off, Palestine Solidarity Activists Look To 1964 For Inspiration

August 20, 2024 Derek Seidman, Truthout. , , , ,
As the Democratic National Convention (DNC) begins, and with Israel’s ongoing destruction of Gaza fracturing the party’s coalition, the echoes of 1968 are hard to miss. That year, against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, protests erupted outside the DNC in Chicago, while tensions flared inside the convention. The nation saw a Democratic party in disarray. With mass protests occurring over Gaza at this year’s DNC — again, held in Chicago — the 1968 comparisons are apt. But there is another historical example also worth remembering. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the 1964 DNC in Atlantic City where, famously, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), a grassroots party fighting for racial justice, sent a delegation to demand that they, not the all-white “regular” delegation, be seated as Mississippi’s true representatives.
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