The Democratic National Convention (DNC) has been taking place this August 19-22. Throughout the convention, delegates from across the United States convened in Chicago to show and pledge support for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the Democratic nominees for President and Vice President of the US.
One of the main tensions for this year’s DNC is the ongoing genocide in Palestine that the current Biden-Harris administration is complicit in. Anti-genocide protesters are urging Kamala Harris to call for an arms embargo as well as a permanent ceasefire. There are ongoing protests outside the DNC, in addition to the broader Chicago community. During a speech at the DNC by Biden, the current president said that the protesters outside of the DNC “have a point” and that “A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides.” Biden has said that his administration is working to prevent a wider war, reunite hostages with their families, and to end the civilian suffering of the Palestinian people. However, many Palestine supporters have said that Biden’s words are empty when just this week, Washington has approved a $20 billion in weapons sales to Israel, consisting of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles.
Furthermore, the DNC platformed a family member of an Israeli American hostage, while rejecting a pro-Palestinian delegates’ efforts to get a Palestinian American to speak. The Uncommitted National Movement, a campaign aimed at mobilizing people to pressure the current administration towards a ceasefire, staged a sit-in demonstration outside of the DNC to pressure the organizers to allow a Palestinian on the stage. George state representative Ruwa Romman said that she had prepared a speech that “wouldn’t have caused concern among the event’s organizers.” Romman had planned to call on supporters of Palestine to rally behind Harris and denounce Trump.
Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, a group who was organizing to move American Muslim women to the polls to vote for the Democratic candidates this November, is rescinding their support for the Harris-Walz ticket. The group disbanded and has said in a statement, “We cannot in good conscience, continue Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, in light of this new information from the Uncommitted movement, that VP Harris’ team declined their request to have a Palestinian American speaker take the stage at the DNC.”
Although many had hope that Vice President Harris may change in her campaign the approach to the genocide in Gaza, actions are not meeting expectations. Waleed Shahid, a progressive political strategist, said, “We came here with the intention of mobilizing our communities for Vice President Harris to defeat Donald Trump. Palestinian Americans as part of this party, just like any other community.”
Rashida Tlaib said virtually during the DNC, “They want to erase us. They want to pretend that Palestinians and the voices that we have and the harm and the hurt [don’t] exist.”
