Pro-Palestinian protesters break through security at Chicago DNC

Protesters against Israel’s war on Gaza briefly breached the security fence surrounding the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Monday, hours before US President Joe Biden passed the torch to new candidate Kamala Harris.

Biden, 81, did not directly address the security breaches in his hour-long speech, but he said “there’s a point to what those protesters in the streets are saying. Many innocent people have been killed on both sides of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.”

On the first day of the Democratic rally, a small group of about 100 demonstrators broke away from the massive march of thousands and directed their attacks at the metal barriers surrounding the United Center.

Police wearing blue helmets and carrying shields and black batons prevented them from entering the inner cordon. AFP The reporter saw it.

Following the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas, protest groups called for mass demonstrations within a week against the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

Chicago police said in a statement that protesters “broke through a portion of the riot fencing outside the Democratic National Convention.”

“Law enforcement officers immediately arrived on scene and brought the situation under control. The interior line was not breached and there was no threat to any of the protected persons,” police said.

Police then moved into a park near the convention center to clear out the protesters.

As about a half-dozen activists holding their ground, including one wearing a pink gas mask, began to leave, chants of “Free Palestine” and “Let’s march” continued.

The Gaza war has been a divisive issue within the Democratic Party ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

It risks alienating Muslim and Arab American voters, once a reliable voting bloc for Democrats, especially in key battleground states.

In his speech, Biden said his administration would continue working to “bring peace and security to the Middle East.”

“We are working around the clock … to prevent the war from expanding, to reunite the hostages with their families, to send additional humanitarian medical and food aid to Gaza, to end the suffering of Palestinian civilians, and finally, finally, finally achieve a ceasefire and end this war.”