Several major politicians, from Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez to President Joe Biden, mentioned the atrocities in Gaza on the first night of the Democratic National Convention on Monday, but attempts to cover up any mention of the genocide continued in the audience and behind the scenes.
During Biden’s speech, a Jewish delegation unrolled a large sign with the text “Stop Arming Israel.” The attempt was quickly stopped by nearby participants who blocked the sign with “We (Heart) Joe” sticks, while another participant in a line above the protesters attempted to grab the banner gone.
Another participant, two rows away from the protesters, used one of the pro-Biden signs to repeatedly hit a woman wearing a hijab on her head.
“It is so important to me because I am Jewish,” said Liano Sharon, one of the protesters holding the anti-war sign. Al-Jazeera after being escorted out of the arena. “And I was always raised to believe that ‘never again’ means never again for anyone, anywhere, never again, period. And that’s not what’s happening right now.”
“What is happening now is that we continue to finance and support an ongoing genocide, the mass murder of children, and this must stop,” Sharon added.
Spectators at the DNC in Chicago unfurl a banner reading “Stop Arming Israel.”
After seeing the banner, the crowd begins to chant “We love Joe.”
Man tries to tear down banner.
The stadium lighting was then dimmed at this point and the banner was torn down. pic.twitter.com/3RfK1aUSV4
— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) 20 August 2024
The reaction is ironic considering that earlier in the day the DNC hosted his first panel on Palestinian rights. The war in Gaza has claimed the lives of over 40,000 Palestinians.
