WASHINGTON — Dozens of Muslim delegates and their allies, angered by U.S. support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza, are pushing for changes to the Democratic Party platform and plan to push for an arms embargo on Israel this week, putting the party on alert for possible attempts to boycott prominent speeches at its national convention in Chicago.
The pro-Palestinian group, which calls itself Delegates Against Genocide, says it will exercise its free speech rights during the main events of the four-day Democratic National Convention starting Monday to formally announce Vice President Kamala Harris’s nomination for president in the Nov. 5 election against Republican former President Donald Trump.
The group’s organizers declined to give details, but said they were encouraging supporters to wear the Palestinian keffiyeh and carry Palestinian flags, and would seek changes to the party’s platform, while urging delegates to speak on the convention floor.
On Sunday evening, about a thousand pro-Palestinian protesters gathered and marched through downtown Chicago.
US President Joe Biden is expected to address the Democratic Party convention on Monday, while Harris will deliver her speech on Thursday.
Pro-Palestinian delegates say they deserve a bigger role in writing the party’s platform. The convention is being held in Chicago, which has the largest Palestinian-American population of any U.S. city.
The group wants to include language that supports enforcement of laws prohibiting military assistance to individuals or security forces that commit gross human rights abuses.
“We will make our voices heard,” said Liano Charon, a business consultant and delegate who signed an alternative platform with 34 other delegates. “Freedom of expression necessarily includes the right to stand up and express one’s opinion even when the authority in the room orders silence.”
“They want the conference to run smoothly. They don’t want there to be any kind of disruption or any kind of statements or anything like that,” he told Reuters at an event organized by a large Palestinian community in Chicago. “I’m sorry. The conference is a tool for political engagement, right?”
Harris’ campaign declined to comment.
Reuters
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2024-08-20 13:34:33