DNC Protest Schedule: Pro-Palestinian Demonstrations Set Throughout Week in Chicago

Members of the Palestinian community, fellow Muslims and their supporters rally in support
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Nick Gilbertson

Pro-Palestinian protests will take place nearly every day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) next week, while demonstrators will descend on the city for other causes as well.

As the Democratic Party remains deeply fractured due to the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, Pro-Palestinian protests are set for Sunday, the eve of the convention, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the final day of the convention. On Thursday, Harris will accept the nomination at the convention.

Below is a list of scheduled demonstrations that will protest against the Democratic Party over the Israel-Hamas war and other causes. The Chicago Sun-Times first compiled the list.

Sunday, August 18

BODIES OUTSIDE OF UNJUST LAWS MARCH: 5:00 p.m. Central

The pro-abortion group will meet on Wicker Drive and Michigan Avenue, and a march will commence demanding national abortion legislation as well as “an end to US funds to the genocide in Palestine.”

The group believes that “Palestinian Liberation is Reproductive Justice” and links on its “demands” page to the Palestinian Feminist Collective’s condemnation of what it calls “Reproductive Genocide in Gaza.”

Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws also declares it “will not settle for ‘reasonable’ limits on abortion, more benevolent family separation, or gender-affirming care only for some,” adding, “There is no middle ground here.”

The group notes it is suing Chicago through the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) due to the alleged denial of a permit request.

Monday, August 19

MARCH ON THE DNC 2024: 12:00 p.m. Central

A coalition of more than 150 groups will convene in Union Park before marching to the United Center, as the Sun-Times noted. March on the DNC refers to President Joe Biden as “Genocide Joe Biden” and says that his bowing out of the race “doesn’t change the policies of Democratic Party leadership, specifically their support of the genocide in Palestine, so our movement must continue to apply pressure.”

The group’s central demand is the “End of U.S. Aid to Israel” and for the Democratic Party to “Stand with Palestine.”

It also has a number of secondary demands, including “Immigrant Rights and Legalization for All,” a radical policy Harris supported at a Democrat primary debate in 2019. The group also demands the defense of “LGBTQIA+,” abortion access, union and striking rights, and “Community control of the police.”

March on the DNC 2024 has also been at odds with the city due to permits, as Breitbart News noted.

POOR PEOPLE’S ARMY: 4:00 p.m. Central

According to its website, the Poor People’s Army will assemble at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts later in the day and march to the United Center. This protest will not center on Israel-Hamas. The Poor People’s Army website states that the march will happen “because the Democrats and Biden do not care about poor or working people.”

The group added that the protest is to “show the world’s media that poor & working people are getting organized from the bottom, not the Left or Right, coming for the top” and to “train our soldiers for this unique stage in history.” The group marched on the Republican National Convention (RNC) last month and made the same arguments about Trump and the Republican Party.

On the groups’ website, third-party presidential candidates Jill Stein of the Green Party and independent Cornel West are listed as attendees of the protest.

Cheri Honkala, the founder of the Poor People’s Army and a spokeswoman, was arrested at the RNC in July for “trying to deliver a citizens arrest to Republicans,” the group wrote in an Instagram post at the time, with a video chronicling the arrest.

Wednesday, August 21

CHICAGO COALITION FOR JUSTICE IN PALESTINE PROTEST: 3:30 p.m. Central

The Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine is set to protest in Union Park and head to march on the convention to protest the war. The group notably dubs Harris as a “War Criminal” in a flier for the event on Instagram.

“Bring your voices, posters, and kuffiyehs as we make it clearer than ever that no business will go as usual until no more Palestinians are massacred,” the post reads in part. It has garnered over a thousand likes.

In another post on Instagram, the image reads, “All Out to Chicago” and “Shut Down the DNC.”

Thursday, August 22

MARCH ON THE DNC 2024: 5:00 p.m. Central

The March on the DNC coalition will hold another protest beginning just hours before Harris will formally accept the nomination on Thursday night. This march will also start at Union Park and make its way to the United Center, notes the Sun-Times.

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