Updated as of 11:39 a.m. on Aug. 22 to include related updates from main convention programming the night before.
Chicago - When Connecticut delegate Esam Boraey brought a “Stop Arming Israel” banner into the first night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, he said he never expected to be met with aggression, shouting and blocking.
By raising the banner just as President Joe Biden took the stage, Boraey said his hope was to peacefully and silently deliver his message of calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Within seconds of holding it up, attendees and delegates in front and behind them began grabbing, screaming and blocking the banner before it was ultimately snatched and thrown away.
“Once the banner was raised, the physical reaction started immediately after that by beating, screaming, pulling the banner,” Boraey said.
Though his first instinct was to protect his female colleague from physical violence, Boraey said he was fearful the situation would escalate. Moreover, he said he felt an overwhelming feeling that he didn’t belong.
“When I start trying to protect my female colleague from the beating, the guy started screaming at me and says, ‘This is not your place. Get out of here.’ And it was very shocking, because if this is not my place, where is my place?” Boraey said. “We were three people carrying the banner — a Jew, a hijabi woman and an immigrant. So, if this isn’t what represents the Democratic Party, what is? If this is not our place, where is our place within the Democratic Party?”
With a degree in history, a career teaching political science and a background in political activism during the 2011 Egyptian Youth Movement, Boraey said he felt an all too familiar pain on Monday night.
“That whole scene just rang very fascist to me,” Boraey said. “I am very familiar with all of those tactics that governments use to oppress freedom of expression and freedom of organizing. And I never expected that would happen here in the U.S. until I saw it last night.”
According to Boraey, he and his colleagues — which includes Michigan delegate Liano Sharon — had tried doing everything they could think before resorting to the banner, which included hosting meetings, lobbyings, discussions, party platform submissions and direct policy nominations.
“We tried all of those ways in which the tools that the party have provided us, and that the bylaws of the party have provided us, to be able to deliver our messages, and we didn't find any response to it,” Boraey said. “We failed every attempt we've tried so far. And so finally, we decided that would be the last resort we could use to deliver our message and raise our voices in the DNC.”
On Aug. 19, roughly 15,000 protestors gathered just outside the United Center in Union Park to advocate for an arms embargo on Israel by the U.S.
Over 200 organizations worked together to plan the event, which included a coalition of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, the Arab American Action Network and Chicago’s Jewish Voice for Peace chapter.
Arielle Rebekah, contract media strategist for JVP, was one of hundreds of people wearing “Not in Our Name” shirts — a slogan adopted by the organization to renounce pro-Israel claims that any criticism of Israel is antisemitic. Not In Our Name is a rallying cry meant against Israel for destroying Gaza in the supposed interest of their safety as Jews, according to notinourname.net.
“Really our goal as a Jewish organization is showing up in solidarity with our Palestinian and black partners,” Rebekah said. “That is quite a large part of what JVP does as an organization, is being accountable, being in solidarity with the Palestinian Liberation Movement.”
By demonstrating just outside the convention grounds, Rebekah said the coalition aims to bring forth a demand of an arms embargo on the Israeli military to U.S. political leaders.
“This illustrates, not only to our political leaders, but to all people in the U.S. and abroad, that the people in the U.S. believe, across the board, that all people deserve to be safe and that an end to violence is necessary and just and that our political leaders need to rally behind it,” Rebekah said. “The antidote to political repression, the antidote to state violence, is people power. That is what we are building.”
Palestine empowerment also continued the next day on Aug. 20, when a protester was escorted out of McCormick Place during the Women’s Caucus meeting.
On Wednesday, Aug. 21, Muslim Women for Harris-Walz announced it would be disbanding over refusal by Harris’ team to let a Palestinian-American speak on stage at the convention. In a post through X, the organization said Palestinians have a right to speak about Palestine and the decision to decline a speaker is a “terrible message to send to Democrats.”
“We cannot in good conscience, continue Muslim Women for Harris-Walz, in light of this new information from the Uncommitted movement, that VP Harris’ team declined their request to have a Palestinian American Speaker take the stage at the DNC,” the post read.
This message was posted just hours after Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg took the stage on Wednesday to share how their only son, 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
Rachel Goldberg breaks down at the DNC podium before telling an audience of approximately 25,000 that her only son has been a hostage of Hamas' since Oct. 7. "You've kept us breathing in a world without air. There is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East. In a competition of pain, there are no winners.”
During that time, Goldberg and Polin thanked those who have been advocating for the safe and immediate return of all hostages, as well as an immediate stop to conflict in Gaza.
“We're also profoundly thankful to you — the millions of people in the United States and all over the world — who have been sending love, support and strength to the hostage families,” Polin said on stage during the third night of the convention. “You've kept us breathing in a world without air. There is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East. In a competition of pain, there are no winners.”
Due to an already stark comparison to the DNC of 1968, the convention took on the themes of ‘For the People’ and a ‘Bold Vision for America’s Future’ on its first and second day, respectively.
University of Madison, Wisconsin student and JVP member Mia Kurzer took a four-hour bus ride to Chicago to participate in Monday’s protest and planned to take the same bus ride home after it was done.
“We are all here together to support the cause of an arms embargo,” Kurzer said. “Seeing all the solidarity between everyone — between Jews and Palestinians, between Black people and white people, between Arab people — everyone is all together for the cause. And this is a multi-ethnic, multi-generational cause. It's bringing communities together.”
In addition to the over two-hour demonstration in Union Park, protestors marched along the barricade on West Washington Boulevard that separated the public from the convention center.
Sumayya, Hiba and Hanan also all attended the protest and requested to only be referred to by their first names.
Hiba, a 23-year-old Muslim woman with family in Lebanon, said the protest aims to demand U.S. delegates to immediately defund Israel and push for a ceasefire in Gaza. Following Israel’s air raid of Beirut on July 30 — which was close enough for her family to hear from their home — Hiba said she came to protest for change.
“I have no one here,” Hiba said. “All my family is in Lebanon and I have to wake up every day thinking, ‘Oh, what if today is the day.’ It’s so heartbreaking and it’s draining.”
Hiba, Sumayya and Hanan all said they came to the DNC to have their voices heard.
“As citizens of this country, we need to do something. We have a responsibility to do something because our government is assisting in killing people and children and it needs to stop,” Hanan said.
During the protest, Sumayya waved a sign that blamed both sides of the political aisle.
“Both Democrats and Republicans have blood on their hands,” Sumayya said. “We learned from your actions. We’ve seen what you’ve done, we’ve seen what you’ve said and we no longer believe you guys. We’re hoping for a lot of change. We no longer can accept the narrative of choosing between the lesser of evils.”
Sumayya added to that statement by saying that she chooses to fight for humanity.
“What’s beautiful about this event is the diversity of ages, of nationalities and religion,” Sumayya said. “This is humanity. This is what humanity looks like.”
To Hiba, joining with so many like-minded people dedicated to peace continues to inspire her as conflict in Gaza continues.
“Someone actually told me this at one of the protests, they said, ‘Palestine freed me,’” Hiba said. “That’s something that I have taken with me throughout every single day of my life. When I am ungrateful about some little thing that I don’t think is a big deal, when I know I have to remember that there’s someone in Gaza right now praying for the life that I have, that’s how this whole thing changed my life. It allowed me to hold my family closer — to hold my loved ones closer — and it strengthened my faith.”
As a student herself, Hiba also recognized the importance of college students speaking up for what they believe in.
“We love the students. Thank you guys so much for standing up for what’s right and for having more courage than adults that are twice your age,” Hiba said. “I’m a student too, and I just want to tell everybody that we decide the future. We don’t have to be going with this cycle of the generations that came before us. We can recreate it the way that we see fit, and we will.”
As of May, over 140 countries — including Ireland, Norway and Spain — have recognized a Palestinian state. This does not include the United States.
“You messed with the wrong generation. I love saying that,” Sumayya said. “The students are out there. The students are who put Palestine on the map. So keep going at it.”
As people continue to try to make their voices heard, Boraey emphasized the importance of relying on curiosity and compassion to guide the country forward.
“What happened yesterday has absolutely fascistic vibes. But also, I would like to differentiate between the party itself and the feelings of the moment,” Boraey said. “I'm a proud American citizen as well. So my advice is always just seriously, try to listen and educate yourself. Why would a group of people who are DNC delegates, decide in the middle of that place to put themselves and their safety at risk, to deliver a message like that? There’s a story behind that. And just brace your curiosity a little bit and dig a little bit deep beyond headlines and traditional media platforms.”