Democratic Convention kicks off as Pro-Palestine protesters mobilise
Kamala Harris arrived in Chicago today for the long-awaited Democratic National Convention – an event that risks being derailed by tens of thousands of Pro-Palestine demonstrators descending on the conference to protest against US support of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
The gathering of 5,000 Democrat delegates, alongside at least 40,000 attendees, begins today and ends on Thursday. The Democratic presidential candidate kicks off the event as the favourite to win November’s election.
A Washington Post/Ipos poll from yesterday and CBS/YouGov from the day before both give Harris a 3-point lead over Donald Trump nationally. Meanwhile, a New York Times/Siena College poll published Saturday shows Harris is ahead of Trump by at least four points in four key battleground states: Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
This is quite the turnaround from a month ago, when Trump kicked off the Republican National Convention, enjoying a comfortable poll margin ahead of his then-rival candidate Joe Biden.
Biden is due to speak at the conference tonight, where he will underline his reasons for endorsing Harris so swiftly after pulling out of the race. Other speakers of note over the next few days include Harris’s vice presidential pick Tim Waltz, the Obamas, the Clintons and former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. The grand finale will come on Thursday night when Harris delivers her own big speech.
The Democrats will be hoping to focus discussions over the coming week on their plans to lower inflation, tackle gun violence, mitigate climate change and enshrine abortion rights. But another topic will be difficult to avoid: Gaza.
Pro-Palestine protesters could upend the display of party unity that Democrats are desperate to project as they enter their final few months of campaigning.
Mass demonstrations outside of the DNC arena were planned many months ago, when Biden – or “Genocide Joe” in their eyes – was still running for re-election.
Harris is seen as slightly more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. She was one of the first members of the administration to call for a ceasefire and staff sources allege that she has urged the Biden to adopt a policy approach towards Gaza that pays closer attention to international law. She has, however, dismissed calls to endorse an arms embargo on Israel, meaning activists are pressing on with their planned protests.
Members of Congress have been advised not to book hotel rooms under their own names and, despite the miles of security fencing around the conference, pro-Palestine activists will be making their presence felt inside the arena too.
During the primaries earlier this year, over half a million Democratic voters cast a ballot for the pro-Palestinian “Uncommitted” movement, in protest against Biden. Some 30 delegates from this movement – who label themselves “Delegates Against Genocide” – have said they will use the convention to press for a halting of arms shipments to Israel.
The 2024 gathering runs the risk of mimicking the disastrous 1968 Democrat convention, also held in Chicago. In 1968, large demonstrations inside and outside of the arena exposed the stark party divisions over the war in Vietnam, and the violent methods used by police to crack down on the anti-war protesters – many of whom were clubbed or tear gassed – shocked the country.
There are other striking parallels with the 1968 US election. That year, Democratic President, Lyndon Johnson, made a surprise announcement that he would not seek re-election, paving the way for the incumbent Vice President, Hubert Humphrey, to stand as the Democratic presidential candidate, despite not having entered any primaries.
Harris will be hoping this is where the similarities between the two of them end.
A few months later, Humphrey was defeated by the Republican nominee who, after sailing through every Republican primary, was elected as President Richard Nixon.