Tens of thousands of people are anticipated to descend on Chicago amid the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) — not to attend it, but to push the Harris campaign on a ceasefire in Gaza.
Setting the tone for a week of action the evening before the convention’s start, about 200 protesters, who were described in a press release as Palestinian youth and allies, disrupted a DNC kickoff party with a banner reading “KAMALA: NO WEAPONS TO ISRAEL.” That same night, 1,000 protesters convened in the city to march for Palestine and abortion rights, The Guardian reported. According to the Associated Press, the Chicago area is home to one of the largest Palestinian populations in the US.
The death toll in Gaza hovers above 40,000, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, but a June study released by the medical journal The Lancet suggested the number may exceed 186,000.On August 17, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who is expected to give introductory remarks at the convention, …