Chicago, Illinois – Rich Barnes says opposing Israel's war in Gaza is not a complicated issue.
“Are we for mass killings of babies or are we against it? To me, it’s a pretty simple equation,” he said, holding Palestinian and Irish flags near the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Monday.
Barnes was one of thousands of protesters who blanketed the lawn of Union Park, blocks from the Democratic National Convention, to demand an end to U.S. support for Israel's war.
As Democrats gathered at the convention to introduce Vice President Kamala Harris as their presidential candidate, several Palestinian rights advocates told Al Jazeera they will not vote for Harris unless she agrees to an arms embargo against Israel.
The demonstration, dubbed the “March to the Democratic National Convention,” also demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
“I’m worried because I feel like there’s not going to be any major change with her,” Barnes said. “We’re trying to put as much pressure as possible from the left to say, ‘Listen, you can’t expect our vote.’”
Protesters held signs linking Harris and President Joe Biden to the atrocities in Gaza, which they describe as genocide — an effort to destroy the Palestinian people through bombing and starvation.
“Both Democrats and Republicans have blood on their hands,” one sign read. Another read: “Don’t vote for Kamala until there is an arms embargo on Israel.”
We need to see action
The convention kicked off Monday as thousands of Democratic officials, operatives and supporters descended on Chicago to celebrate Harris' candidacy ahead of the November presidential election.
Harris, who has been selected to replace Biden at the head of the Democratic ticket, will accept the party's nomination on Thursday, the fourth day of the event.
But the convention protests had been organized on the assumption that Biden, a staunch defender of Israel who led support for the war in Gaza, would be the nominee. He withdrew from the race on July 21 amid concerns about his age and ability to lead.
For many protesters, however, the new Democratic candidate makes no difference. His message to the Democratic Party remains the same: that it must listen to the millions of voters who want an end to US-backed human rights abuses against Palestinians.
While Harris has acknowledged Palestinian suffering in Gaza, the Democratic candidate has not promised any real policy change on the issue.
Amal Jaber, a teacher who drove from Wisconsin to join Monday’s protest, dismissed Harris’s professed empathy for Palestinians as “lip service.”
“We need to see action,” Jaber told Al Jazeera. “Palestinians are still being killed today. Unless we see real change, I don’t see the Muslim community in Wisconsin supporting Kamala Harris right now. Enough is enough.”
The United States has provided Israel with military support and billions of dollars in aid to back its war in Gaza, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians.
Biden, a self-proclaimed Zionist, has been a staunch supporter of Israel.
Vice presidents do not typically dictate foreign policy, but the White House has said Harris has been a “full partner” in overseeing the U.S. approach to Gaza.
But last month, after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris called the war “devastating.”
“We cannot afford to become numb to suffering and I will not remain silent,” she told reporters.
Still, the vice president has told aides she does not support an arms embargo against Israel, dashing the hopes of many anti-war protesters.
At Thursday’s protest in Chicago, one protester held a sign that read: “DNC = Decades of No Change.”
“There has been no change. The murderous system has not made any reforms. And the answer is to leave the empire,” Tina, who preferred to be identified only by her first name, told Al Jazeera.
He added that Harris's expression of sympathy for the Palestinians makes no difference without a change in policy: “none at all.”
“This is not going to go away”
Gaza-related protests are expected to continue throughout the week until the convention concludes on Thursday.
Chicago, which has a long history of political activism, is home to one of the largest Palestinian communities in the United States.
One masked protester who asked to remain anonymous told Al Jazeera it seemed incongruous that Democrats decided to hold their convention in Chicago, the largest US city to pass a Gaza ceasefire resolution.
“It feels like a slap in the face that the Democrats are currently funding this genocide, but they chose to come here,” the protester told Al Jazeera.
“But it also seems right that we are holding this demonstration here and have the opportunity to be present.”
Inside the halls of the Democratic National Convention, the anti-war movement will also be represented by the dozens of “uncommitted” delegates.
They represent the hundreds of thousands of people who voted “uncommitted” in the Democratic primaries to protest Biden’s Gaza policy.
“We need a change in policy on Gaza. We need a ceasefire,” Abbas Alawieh, a “non-committal” delegate from Michigan, told reporters at a news conference early Monday.
“We need to stop sending weapons that are being used to kill families, to kill people we love, to kill civilians in Gaza and to perpetuate a crushing occupation of Palestinian lands and the Palestinian people.”
During the protest, demonstrators warned Harris that they — and their demands — will not be easily dismissed.
“This is not going away,” said Kwabena Ampofo, a U.S. military veteran. “What we’re seeing now is not just a media moment. It’s not just five or 15 minutes of sunshine. It’s a problem that I’ve never seen in my nearly 30 years of life, and it transcends the lives of so many people.”
