Chicago, Illinois – As balloons fell from the ceiling of the packed United Center, rows of devoted members of the Democratic Party rose to clap and cheer. It was Thursday evening, and Kamala Harris had just delivered the closing speech at this year’s Democratic National Convention. The atmosphere was euphoric: Democrats in the audience were ecstatic, attributing the revival of the party to Harris after President Joe Biden had concluded his struggling re-election campaign.
However, outside the arena, the mood shifted dramatically. A small group of people wearing Palestinian keffiyehs stood almost still, exhausted and in mourning. The convention’s “independent” delegates, who had called for a weapon embargo against Israel amid the devastating war in Gaza, faced a harsh blow as Harris clearly stated her intention to continue providing arms to the American ally, Israel.
Asma Mohammed, a delegate from Minnesota, summarized their feelings at the convention’s conclusion: “Balloons are falling down over the Democrats in our party, and bombs are falling down over children, families, and the people I love,” Mohammed said tearfully, while another activist offered her comfort as they both cried.
As jubilant attendees passed by with their “Harris-Walz” signs and American flags, two radically opposing realities emerged in connection with the four-day convention in Chicago. On one side was joy and excitement, while for supporters of Palestinian rights, the convention brought further pain and disappointment.
Over 40,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza while the United States continues to send billions of dollars in aid to Israel, which is conducting bombing campaigns in the besieged region. Many of the activists who gathered to protest outside the convention were in mourning: Cook County, which includes Chicago, has the largest Palestinian American population in the United States. Those who worked within the Democratic Party, including the “independent” delegates, felt compelled to carry that grief into the convention’s festive atmosphere. They shared horrific stories of destruction, displaced people, and despair in Gaza – all facilitated by American taxpayer dollars.
Inside the convention hall, the celebration continued uninterrupted, aside from a few shouts of “Free Palestine” on Thursday evening while Harris spoke. These shouts were eventually drowned out by the cheering crowd. The independent delegates attempted to exert pressure on the Democratic Party from within, while protesters outside the convention daily challenged Harris and Biden over their support for Israel.
The demonstrators were diverse, energetic, and outraged. They gathered with Palestinian flags and chanted against the occupation of Gaza and the Democratic Party. “DNC, your hands are red! Over 40,000 dead,” shouted a young woman in a hijab through a megaphone on Wednesday. Thousands of marchers echoed her words.
Some feared, however, that the city would descend into chaos as it did in 1968 when a Democratic convention was held amid the Civil Rights Movement and the unpopular Vietnam War. Back then, police violently suppressed anti-war protesters. This time, no such crackdown occurred, although there were some clashes, and the protests remained peaceful. Demonstrators never got too close to the convention center, which was protected by a multi-layer security perimeter.
Nevertheless, the parallels to 1968 were present in the minds of many protesters, who viewed the Gaza conflict as this generation’s Vietnam. “Just like in 1968, there is nothing to celebrate,” shouted protesters.
For four days, protesters and independent delegates marched, shouted, and pleaded to be heard and recognized. But it appears their voices did not sway the party’s leadership. The Harris campaign and event organizers ultimately rejected the movement’s request to include a Palestinian speaker during the convention. And while Harris and Biden called for a ceasefire in Gaza, advocates for Palestinian rights considered their statements inadequate. Several activists noted earlier this week that there cannot be a ceasefire as long as the U.S. continues to supply Israel with weapons that fuel the conflict.
Al Jazeera spoke with many Harris supporters at the convention; they were either sympathetic or indifferent to the protests. Speakers at the convention who mentioned Palestinians and called for a ceasefire received thunderous applause from the audience. Still, Democrats were eager for the show to go on as they rallied around Harris. For many, the issue of Palestine did not seem to be a priority. The war against Gaza and those who brought the issue to the convention appeared to be an afterthought, if not a nuisance.
The convention has now concluded, but the stark divide between joy and sorrow in Chicago may haunt the Democratic Party for years to come. Nearly all pro-Palestinian advocates and demonstrators that Al Jazeera spoke with at the convention had the same message: “We are not disappearing.”