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Outraged Over Gaza, Protesters Show Left-Wing Divisions as Convention Opens
A protest in Chicago on Monday, which was expected to be one of the largest of the week, drew fewer demonstrators than organizers had hoped for.
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Protesters Clash With Police Near the Democratic National Convention
Protesters critical of the war in Gaza pushed through barricades at the Democratic National Convention prompting law enforcement to step in.
“Keep going. Keep going.” “Free, free Palestine.” “Free, free Palestine.”
Nicholas Bogel-BurroughsErnesto LondoñoMitch SmithRobert Chiarito and Dan Simmons
Reporting from Chicago
Follow the latest news on the Democratic National Convention.
As Democrats gathered in Chicago on Monday, eager to project an image of a liberal movement fully united behind Vice President Kamala Harris, thousands of people marched a few blocks away, presenting a thorny counterpoint.
For hours, protesters furious over the Biden administration’s support for Israel and its failure to end the war in Gaza held signs, chanted and pushed for Ms. Harris to break with the president on those issues. The loudest challenge to the opening day of the Democratic National Convention was coming not from Republicans, but from the progressive left.
“It is no longer good enough just to stand against Trump,” said Ellie Feyans-McCool, who traveled from Minnesota to attend the march, and had not yet decided whether she would support Ms. Harris or some other candidate. “You have to do good.”
From the moment Chicago was announced as host to the convention, residents and pundits alike raised concerns about the prospect of protests amid memories of violent clashes between police officers and demonstrators in the city at the Democrats’ 1968 convention. The war in Gaza, and federal lawsuits from activists accusing Chicago of infringing on their right to protest, only heightened the worries.
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Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs reports on national stories across the United States with a focus on criminal justice. He is from upstate New York. More about Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs
Ernesto Londoño is a Times reporter based in Minnesota, covering news in the Midwest and drug use and counternarcotics policy. More about Ernesto Londoño
Mitch Smith is a Chicago-based national correspondent for The Times, covering the Midwest and Great Plains. More about Mitch Smith
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