(OPINION) Do you remember what happened when the Democrats held their convention in Chicago in 1968? The Democrats are really hoping to avoid a repeat of what we witnessed 56 years ago, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson insists that law enforcement authorities in his city are ready.
We shall see. Tens of thousands of protesters from 264 different radical protest groups have descended upon Chicago, and the war in the Middle East is what they are upset about more than anything else.
They are determined to get as much attention as possible, because so far the Biden administration has not been responsive to their demands.
According to Politico, after Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Kamala Harris became the nominee, pro-Palestinian protesters “paused to rethink their approach”.
But then they remembered that Kamala Harris has supported every move that Joe Biden has made in the Middle East, and so they decided to go “full steam ahead”…
“We all came to a consensus that it’s not going to make a difference, that [Harris] represents this administration,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network. “We’re going to stay full steam ahead.”
And he noted, his organization referred to Harris as “Killer Kamala” even before she topped the ticket and continues to push for harsher restrictions on the Israeli government, like an arms embargo — something that a top Harris adviser has said she doesn’t support.
So what does “full steam ahead” look like? According to NBC News, there will be over 20,000 protesters from over 264 different protest groups…
More than 20,000 protesters are expected to cram into a 1.4 mile-long court-approved protest route near Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week, creating a potential standoff between demonstrators and a police department with a history of excessive force.
The 264 protest groups that have said they will participate are primarily focused on Palestinian rights, ending the war in Gaza and reducing U.S. aid to Israel. Others represent a patchwork of left-leaning causes: climate activists, socialists, anti-racist organizations, queer and trans rights groups.
Considering what is currently happening in the Middle East, this is literally the worst place that the Democrats could have picked for their convention.
Today, Cook County has the largest Palestinian population in the entire country…
And they’ve got a lot of power behind them. Cook County, where Chicago resides, is home to the largest Palestinian population in the United States.
“It’ll be the largest protest in the history of Chicago for Palestinian rights, specifically,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, national chair for the U.S. Palestinian Community Network.
Needless to say, they are going to come out in force for these protests. The first major protest is scheduled for Monday… (CONTINUE)
