The Democratic National Convention, which is being held from Monday to Thursday to seal Kamala Harris’s presidential candidacy, emphasizes the idea of unity even in the name of its venue: the United Center in Chicago. But that image of harmony around the vice president was fractured just a few blocks away: more than a hundred groups from the left wing of the party had called for a large protest this Monday to demonstrate against the war in Gaza. On the eve of the inauguration, a thousand people had already marched through the streets of the Windy City with Palestinian flags to demand “the closure of the convention.”
The war in Gaza is one of the issues that has most painfully divided the Democratic Party for months. On the one hand, progressive and Arab-American groups point to a Palestinian death toll that has already exceeded 40,000 to accuse President Joe Biden of genocide for his pro-Israeli positions and, by extension, the rest of his administration, including Harris. On the other, pro-Israeli groups protest against the use of the term “genocide” and consider that Israel is only responding to the Hamas attacks on October 7. And, in the middle, the rest of the party, concerned about the course of events in the Middle East and hoping that the dispute does not harm the image of Democratic unity or their electoral prospects against Donald Trump’s Republicans on November 5.
While Biden was the Democratic presidential candidate, the war in Gaza was one of the great ghosts that haunted him during the campaign and one of the reasons for his decline in voting intention among young people and progressive groups. Every presidential rally was marked by protest cries or pro-Palestinian flags, and protest voting was exercised during the Democratic primaries in several states, especially Michigan and Minnesota, with a high proportion of Arab-American populations. There, nearly 800,000 people chose to vote “undeclared,” a form of blank vote. These voters elected about thirty delegates who are not obliged to vote for Biden or Harris, out of the total of 5,000 attending the Democratic caucus in Chicago.
Initially, there was a lull in the protests after Kamala Harris replaced her as the Democratic front-runner: the vice president was perceived as more willing to listen to pro-Palestinian demands. The truce was short-lived. These voices have been heard again at rallies: in the past two weeks, the candidate has interrupted her campaign speeches on more than one occasion to address these activists. Now they can also be heard within the convention itself.
Pro-Israel protesters at the Democratic Convention in Chicago on Monday. Frank Franklin II (AP)
The thirty or so “undeclared” delegates, grouped together in what they call themselves “Delegates Against Genocide,” are demanding an immediate ceasefire and an arms embargo against Israel. This group had unsuccessfully demanded a space in the party’s speech programme and the inclusion of the embargo in the official electoral programme. They now say they will use their right to freedom of expression to demand an end to the war during the events planned for the four-day convention, which includes a ceremonial vote to symbolically confirm Harris’ nomination as the Democratic candidate on Tuesday.
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“They are delegates of the Democratic Party and the hope is that they will be respected as delegates. In the same way, we intend to respect the development of the work of the Democratic National Convention,” said Layla Elabed, co-founder of the Undeclared National Movement, on the eve of the conclave.
Since Harris was nominated as the Democratic candidate, party representatives have been engaged in talks with pro-Palestinian organizations in an attempt to avoid showing open fractures during the convention or divisions that could harm the party’s electoral prospects. During a visit to Michigan for an election event, the vice president spoke briefly with Elabed and other leaders of that movement.
Other senior Democrats, including Harris’ campaign manager Julie Rodriguez-Chavez, have traveled to Michigan to hear from the Arab-American community.
In a nod to the two wings of the party with opposing views on the war, convention organizers have included family members of American hostages held in Gaza in the speaking slots. The second gentleman, Vice President Kamala Harris’s husband Douglas Emhoff, is scheduled to speak about his Judaism in his address to delegates on Tuesday. And on Monday, the Undeclared National Movement has announced, a convention panel will address Palestinian rights.
A pro-Palestinian protester during the National Convention in Chicago on Monday.Eduardo Munoz (REUTERS)
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