Chicago, Illinois – As balloons fell from the ceiling of the packed United Center in Chicago, rows of loyal Democratic Party supporters rose to their feet, clapping and cheering.
It was Thursday evening, and Kamala Harris had just delivered the closing speech of this year’s Democratic Party Convention.
The atmosphere was ecstatic: Democrats in the audience were enthusiastic, and many thanked Harris for giving the party new momentum in the weeks after President Joe Biden ended his flagging re-election campaign.
But while cheering faces stretched as far as the eye could see and red, white and blue balloons flew in the halls, the mood outside the arena was noticeably different.
There, a small group of people wearing Palestinian keffiyeh stood almost motionless, looking exhausted and desperate.
The convention’s “undecided” delegates, who had called for an arms embargo against Israel in light of the devastating war on Gaza, suffered a setback when Harris stated in no uncertain terms that she would continue to supply arms to the US ally.
Asma Mohammed, a delegate from Minnesota, summed up her feelings at the conclusion of the congress.
“Balloons are raining down on Democrats in our party, and bombs are raining down on children, families and people I love,” Mohammed told Al Jazeera, tears streaming down her cheeks. “That’s what I thought too.”
Another activist rubbed her shoulder comfortingly as they both cried.
Meanwhile, overjoyed participants walked by with their “Harris Walz” signs and American flags.
The four-day congress in Chicago ultimately produced two completely contradictory realities. On the one hand, there was joy and excitement. But for Palestinian human rights activists, the congress brought further pain and disappointment.
More than 40,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, while the United States sends billions of dollars in aid to Israel, which continues to bomb the besieged Palestinian territory.
Many of the activists who showed up to protest in front of Congress were in mourning: After all, Cook County, which includes Chicago, is the largest Palestinian-American community of any county in the United States.
Those who work in the Democratic Party, including the “undecided” delegates, had to carry that grief into the festive atmosphere of the convention, telling horrific stories of the carnage, displacement and despair in Gaza – all made possible by US taxpayer money.
But inside the convention hall, the party went on undisturbed, except for a few chants of “Free Palestine” on Thursday night as Harris spoke. Those chants were ultimately drowned out by the cheering crowd.
While undecided delegates tried to put pressure on the Democratic Party from within, protesters gathered daily outside the convention to denounce Harris and Biden for their support for Israel.
The protesters were diverse, energetic and angry, gathering with Palestinian flags and chanting against the Israeli occupation and the Democratic Party.
“DNC, your hands are red! Over 40,000 dead,” a petite young woman wearing a hijab shouted through a megaphone on Wednesday. Thousands of marchers echoed her call.
Some feared, however, that the city could fall into chaos like in 1968, when a Democratic Party convention was held there in the midst of the civil rights movement and the unpopular Vietnam War.
At that time, the police used violence against anti-war demonstrators. This time, however, there was no harsh action.
Although there were some skirmishes, the protests were peaceful. At no point were the demonstrators allowed to get too close to the convention center, which was protected by a security perimeter with several checkpoints.
Nevertheless, the parallels to 1968 were present in the minds of many protesters and they viewed the Gaza war as the Vietnam of our generation.
“Just like in 1968, there is nothing to celebrate,” chanted the demonstrators.
For four days, the protesters and unaffiliated delegates marched, chanted and even begged to be heard and recognized.
But it seems that the protesters’ voices did not move the party leadership. The Harris campaign team and event organizers ultimately rejected the “undecided” movement’s request to have a Palestinian speaker during the convention.
And although Harris and Biden have called for a ceasefire in Gaza, their statements are inadequate, according to Palestinian human rights activists. Several activists argued this week that there can be no ceasefire as long as the US continues to supply Israel with weapons to fuel the war.
Al Jazeera spoke to many Harris supporters at the convention, who expressed either sympathy or indifference toward the protesters. Convention speakers who mentioned the Palestinians and called for a ceasefire received thunderous applause from the crowd.
Still, the Democrats who rallied behind Harris were determined to move on. Palestine did not seem to be a priority for them. The war on Gaza and those who raised the issue at the convention seemed marginal, if not downright annoying.
The convention is now over, but the stark contrast between joy and suffering in Chicago could plague the Democratic Party for years to come.
Almost every pro-Palestinian activist and protester Al Jazeera spoke to at the congress had the same message: “We are not going away.”
