Spurned by the DNC, the Uncommitted Movement Is Staging a Sit-In for Palestine

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Struggle and Solidarity: Writing Toward Palestinian Liberation

June Rose’s hope was simultaneously realistic and wildly far-fetched.

“All I hope to get out of this and everything else that we’re doing are meaningful policy concessions,” Rose, an Uncommitted delegate from Rhode Island, told me shortly before heading to Chicago for this week’s Democratic National Convention (DNC).

“If attending doesn’t lead to the Vice President taking a new posture on the war in Gaza, to supporting our key demands of an immediate, permanent ceasefire and an arms embargo,” Rose added, “then what is it worth to the people of Palestine living under bombardment?”

Three days into the convention, Rose and 29 other Uncommitted delegates from across the country had made headway with rank-and-file Democrats, but progress with party leadership had been limited and stalled.

And then, Wednesday night, Uncommitted delegates said the party made a decision to silence Palestinian voices, and a powerful sit-in began that is continuing now.

Uncommitted was born in Michigan three weeks ahead of the state’s February Democratic primary. President Joe Biden’s polling had been plummeting, largely over his support of Israel’s highly unpopular offensive in Gaza. Organizers Layla Elabed and Abbas Alawieh founded Listen to Michigan, a campaign that urged voters to voice their dissatisfaction with the Biden administration’s support for the violence by voting “Uncommitted” rather than casting votes for the incumbent. In just three weeks of organizing and with a relatively tiny budget, they captured more than 100,000 votes, representing a whopping 13 percent of Michigan’s voters in the Democratic primary.

The movement spread quickly — to Minnesota and Wisconsin and beyond — as other states’ primaries proceeded.

The roughly 30 Uncommitted delegates at the DNC collectively represent more than 800,000 voters nationwide, but they say they also represent the Democratic majority in their views about Gaza — a statement many polls support

“The overwhelming majority of Democratic voters support a ceasefire, the very clear majority of Democratic voters support a stop to the unconditional flow of weapons to the Israeli government that is turning around and using them to kill civilians,” said Alawieh, who is also an Uncommitted delegate from Michigan.

Getting Democratic party leadership to respond to this clear majority opinion has been an uphill battle. The mainstage DNC programming has been festive, and Democrats have been attempting to project an image of internal unity and pure enthusiasm for Vice President Kamala Harris. Palestine has appeared only on the peripheries of the mainstage — disruptions have been quickly repressed (and in at least one case, even met with some violence by other attendees) — and the Harris campaign has categorically rejected a weapons embargo.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), once unconditionally seen as a stalwart of the progressive movement, said in a speech Tuesday that Harris was “working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire.” Her remarks drew widespread, immediate criticism on social media platforms.

Writing for The Nation, organizer Kareem Alrefai said her statement was “simply not true.”

“​​There have been no indications that Harris is playing a central role in any ceasefire negotiations. And there is mounting evidence that those negotiations are more fantasy than reality,” Alrefai added.

In an apparent reprimand of Ocasio-Cortez at an Uncommitted press conference on Wednesday, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) said that “working tirelessly for a ceasefire is really not a thing” and that colleagues who claim this “should be ashamed of themselves.”

“We supply these weapons,” Omar added. “If you really want a ceasefire, you just stop sending the weapons.”

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri), who recently lost her bid for reelection, also voiced support for the demands of the Uncommitted movement. Bush, a movement candidate who emerged from the 2014 Ferguson Uprising, was ousted from her seat earlier this month after the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s super PAC (AIPAC) spent $8.5 million to fuel her opponent to victory. She was Missouri’s first Black female congressperson. Along with a ceasefire and weapons embargo, Bush had reiterated Uncommitted’s demand that a Palestinian American be allowed to take the main stage at some point in the convention.

“My overwhelming feeling is ‘thank God, we’re here,’” Alawieh said. “Because the Democratic Party is not on its own initiating conversations about Palestinian human rights.”

That became even more clear on Wednesday evening, when delegates from the Uncommitted movement made an announcement: the DNC programming committee refused to allow a Palestinian to speak as part of its featured programming on the main stage.

“You can try to suppress us, we’re not going anywhere,” said Alawieh, before declaring he was going to sit down and stay in place. He was joined by several other Uncommitted delegates who also sat down and linked arms. “We’re not going anywhere in four years; we’re not going anywhere in eight years.” The delegates were joined by Rep. Ilhan Omar on the sidewalk. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez eventually made an appearance via FaceTime, too.

In an earlier interview, Alawieh noted that the Uncommitted National Movement had sent 15 names for consideration. He speculated at the time that the administration was vetting candidates and trying to exclude any Palestinians who would call for an arms embargo. If that was the condition, he said, “good luck finding a Palestinian American speaker.”

The list of potential Palestinian American speakers included several Democratic elected officials, such as Illinois State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman, Colorado State Rep. Iman Jodeh and Virginia State Delegate Sam Rasoul. Meanwhile, the family of an Israeli American hostage spoke at the convention on Wednesday evening. Uncommitted delegates were supportive of them speaking, but also noted that it was contradictory and insulting that a Palestinian speaker, who would also have their speech go through the same vetting process, would not be allowed to speak.

At an Uncommitted news conference Thursday morning, a representative for the movement said their understanding was that none of the potential speakers had been contacted.

When the Uncommitted delegates said they found out they were being denied the speaker request, an impromptu press conference was called. “We have been organizing for a ceasefire desperately,” Alawieh said. “Ceasefire requires Biden stop sending bombs.”

Barred from the stage, Uncommitted has been organizing panels and events that showcase the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as well as the broad coalition of Democrats that support their demands. Alawieh said 240 delegates across the convention have signed on to their demands: a ceasefire and weapons embargo.

On Monday, they held a panel called “Democrats for Palestinian Human Rights,” which they noted was the first official DNC Panel for Palestinian Human Rights in the party’s history. It featured Uncommitted Co-founder Elabed, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, former Michigan Rep. Andy Levin, who was also targeted by AIPAC, and several Palestinian American doctors who have visited Gaza on emergency missions over the past few months.

During that event, Elabed left the stage in tears, saying she never thought she or her children would see a liberated Palestine.

Uncommitted delegates have been clear that they are at the DNC not as protesters but as delegates. However, they have also signaled support for protesters inside and outside the DNC, who they see as fundamental parts of a healthy democracy.

“I’m so glad we’re on the inside representing the same fundamental, just, humane request to stop sending bombs that are killing people we love, that folks on the outside at the protests are representing,” Alawieh said earlier in the week.

During President Biden’s speech on Monday night, Liano Sharon, a Jewish delegate from Michigan along with others, held up a banner that said “Stop Arming Israel.” Delegates and attendees ripped the banner out of their hands and hit them on their heads with signs reading, “We [heart] Joe.”

Other protests have also erupted inside the convention. At the welcome reception, a lone activist ran across the stage shouting about a weapons embargo while her comrades chanted “Free Palestine.” Code Pink activists interrupted Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz’s speech to the Women’s Caucus by chanting “Stop killing women in Gaza” and holding up flags that said “Kamala: no weapons to Israel” and “arms embargo now.” According to Politico, the crowd drowned the protesters out by chanting “USA” before they were removed by security. Walz reportedly ignored the protests.

On Tuesday, two women, also from Code Pink, ran onto the stage at an event hosted by the news outlet Axios and featuring Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. They held up a “Free Palestine” flag and were tackled and dragged out by security.

Outside the convention and walled off by a labyrinth of security corridors, thousands upon thousands have gathered to rally and march in protest. Rallies, like Uncommitted press conferences, have featured speakers representing a broad coalition of organizations and causes including labor, reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights, the movement for Black lives, Indigenous liberation and immigrant justice.

One of the clearest disconnects for many Uncommitted delegates is between the tone of some politicians like Harris, which appears largely performative, and any actions they might take — which appear to be few, if any.

Some have equated it to how politicians respond after mass shootings. They appear caring and empathetic, and try to look tough by saying more needs to be done.

“In the wake of a mass shooting, democratic leaders are quick to say ‘Thoughts and prayers are not enough,’” says delegate Rose. “As Vice President Harris takes a more empathetic tone, we say the same to her: ‘Thoughts and prayers are not enough.’”

The sit-in that started Wednesday night was still continuing Thursday morning as a press conference was underway. Alawieh, speaking to the press remotely from the sit-in, said firmly, “We’re not going anywhere. Our movement is not going anywhere.”

Elabed said at the press conference that if “the bare, bare minimum of having a speaker is not going to happen, how can we expect policy shifts?”

In a video filmed after the sit-in began, Alawieh said Uncommitted delegates “ran out of options on the inside, so we’re … here on the outside.”

On Thursday morning Alawieh said nothing was completely final, and that he was still hopeful the Democratic Party would reverse course.

“I’m waiting on a call,” he said. It’s unclear if he will get one.

This article is a joint publication between Truthout and In These Times.