DNC 2024: 'Welcome to Hell week' as Chicago braces for mass protests for Palestine
Authorities are bracing for a week of mass protests and disruptions at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), with tens of thousands of anti-war and pro-Palestinian demonstrators descending on the city to demand the US halt support for Israel's war on Gaza.
Security around the perimeter of the DNC in Chicago has already been beefed up with the US Secret Service, together with local law enforcement building "a wall" around the main convention centre.
'We're hoping to convey that a broad, diverse coalition... wants an end to all US aid to Israel'
- Faayani Aboma Mijana, coalition spokesperson
Residents in neighbourhoods around the two main arenas hosting DNC activities, the United Center and McCormick Place, also reported seeing road closures and several barriers go up.
On Monday, more than 270 organisations under the banner, "The Coalition to March on the DNC", say they will march for an end to US support for Israel, amongst a string of demands from the Democratic Party.
Organisers expect thousands of people from the state of Illinois and 21 other states to participate in the week-long activities. Volunteers are said to have distributed around 100,000 flyers in Chicago alone, inviting the local community to participate in the actions.
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"We're hoping to convey that a broad, diverse coalition consisting of the very people the Democratic Party claims to represent is opposed to this genocide and wants an end to all US aid to Israel," Faayani Aboma Mijana, spokesperson of the coalition to march on the DNC, told Middle East Eye.
"This isn’t so much a turning point as it is a continuation of a long and protracted struggle for an advancement in rights for working and oppressed people.
"Today will see the movement for a free Palestine and for the rights of working and oppressed people grow and unite even more - and that’s what the genocidal Democratic Party leadership fear the most," Mijana added.
The DNC is a quadrennial event where Democratic Party delegates formally nominate their presidential and vice presidential picks and decide on the party's platform ahead of the election later in the year.
With Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz already certified as this year's nominees, the convention is expected to be little more than a formality and a way to bolster enthusiasm for both candidates ahead of November's face-off with the Republican Party ticket, Donald Trump and JD Vance.
The protests in Chicago come as Israel's war on Gaza enters its 11th month, with the backing of the US government.
Protesters have repeatedly urged Washington to stop sending weapons to Israel as it continues to devastate the besieged enclave, killing more than 40,000 Palestinians to date, most of them women and children.
'Historical urgency'
The Coalition to March on the DNC, a coalition of activist groups, has planned marches on 19 August and 22 August.
"Biden’s entire administration, together with high-ranking members of the Democratic Party from all over the country, has spent the last ten months wholeheartedly supporting the genocide in Gaza with our tax dollars," the coalition said.
"It is a matter of historical urgency that all organisations who fight for the rights of working and oppressed people in the US join us in this demonstration to stand in solidarity with Palestine."
Though much of the action is likely to be on the streets, pro-Palestinian delegates are also expected to have their voices heard inside the convention itself.
Earlier in the year, 30 Democratic Party delegates were elected to represent the "uncommitted" movement in light of President Joe Biden's continued support for Israel. The delegates said they would not be endorsing Harris without promises for a policy shift from her ticket.
On Sunday, more than 1,000 people took part in the first protest in the city ahead of the convention. Demonstrators marched along Michigan Avenue against Israel's war in Gaza and for abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.
A Democratic Party welcome party in Chicago was also interrupted by several activists who promised delegates more disruptions throughout the week.
"Welcome to Hell week," the protesters chanted.
There are at least six major protests planned on the streets of Chicago during the DNC over the week.
There will also be several other events, as anti-war activists disillusioned with the two-party system look to mobilise for third-party or other political alternatives.
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