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.
Under the U.S.-backed Israeli assault on Gaza, pregnant people and mothers face the constant threat of hunger, disease and a lack of basic medical care. Meanwhile, people in red states across the U.S. now live without safe, legal access to abortion in the wake of Roe’s overturn. Given those dire circumstances, protesters said Democrats would not earn their votes simply because Harris has replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket and brought a shift in tone to the conversation about Palestine.
The death toll in Gaza recently topped 40,000 lives as Israel’s assault on the densely populated area continues, often forcibly displacing survivors from homes and makeshift shelters over and over again. Medical experts estimate the actual death toll is much higher, with many families still searching for children and loved ones under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
“Reproductive rights are the ability to make reproductive decisions and live in safe and healthy environments. So being safe from murder and genocide is obviously pretty connected to making reproductive decisions about our lives,” said Anne Rumberger, a spokesperson for the Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws coalition, in an interview.
“Let’s call bullshit on Democrats standing behind the shadow of women and LGBTQ rights while funding police violence and genocide.”
Nadine Naber, a professor at the University of Illinois Chicago and co-founder of MAMAS, a group of moms organizing against the carceral state, said liberation from state violence is a reproductive rights issue that unites activists across movements against racism and imperialism, both in the U.S. and abroad.
“Let us not forget that the Democrats’ cops and Israeli soldiers are sharing the technology they use to evict Black mamas and Palestinian mamas while killing their kids,” Naber told the crowd ahead of the march. “Let’s call bullshit on Democrats standing behind the shadow of women and LGBTQ rights while funding police violence and genocide.”
Sunday’s march kicked off a week of expected protest during the convention week, mostly focused on U.S. support to Israel. Another mass march through downtown Chicago is scheduled for Monday after organizers spent weeks wrangling in court with city officials over the route and other logistics, with activists insisting their march be within “sight and sound” of the convention. Protest organizers complained over the weekend that the city had not allowed for stages, risers and portable toilets at a main rallying point. It was unclear whether those issues were resolved ahead of Monday’s mass march.
Additionally, another mass protest is set for Thursday. Anti-genocide protesters also interrupted a welcoming event for Democrats on Sunday, according to posts on social media.
There is a massive police presence in downtown Chicago in anticipation of the protests, and the Chicago Police Department recently updated its policies for making arrests during political actions after coming under fire for violating free speech rights at previous mass demonstrations.
If the U.S. has enough money to fund a genocidal war, then why does the U.S. continue to have the highest maternal death rate of any wealthy nation?
A key demand among the protesters is a permanent and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and an embargo on U.S. arms transfers to Israel. Harris has also called for a ceasefire, but negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage swap between Hamas and Israel have dragged on for months. Meanwhile, the Biden administration recently approved another $20 billion in weapons transfer to the Israeli military.
If the U.S. has enough money to fund a genocidal war, then why does the U.S. continue to have the highest maternal death rate of any wealthy nation? This is the question that protesters are demanding Democrats answer during their convention this week.
Naber said it’s not enough to simply call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far right government is trying to destroy Gaza and displace its population, not reach a peace deal.
“There is no ceasefire without an embargo. It’s impossible. Netanyahu has made that very clear,” Naber said in an interview. “As long as the money keeps coming, as long as the weapons keep coming, that money and those weapons are going to be used to kill Palestinians.”
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