Pro-Palestine demonstrators breach part of DNC security perimeter

CHICAGO (NewsNation) — Protesters breached a small portion of a security fence outside of the Democratic National Convention on Monday afternoon, leading to a standoff between demonstrators and officers later in the day. At least four people were arrested, though that number could rise.

Protesters gathered at Union Park, about a half-mile away from the United Center where the DNC is taking place.

Around 4:50 p.m., protesters breached one of the United States Secret Service barriers by the venue, though they remained behind another fencing barrier. Multiple people were detained by police following the fence’s collapse, with one arrestee refusing to leave and being carried away by police.

The Chicago Police Department said nearly 100 protesters breached a section of the anti-scale fencing outside the United Center. Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said some of the protesters who took down the fence threw water bottles and other items at police. Officers didn’t use their batons or chemical agents.

Officers worked to push the protesters back to the area where they were permitted. Demonstrators reportedly chanted “shame” in response to the police’s efforts.

In a statement, the DNC Joint Information Center confirmed the breach, clarifying, “At no point was the inner perimeter breached, and there was no threat to any protectees.”

“Law enforcement personnel are currently on-scene, and more information will be provided when available,” a Chicago city spokesperson told Reuters.

At 6 p.m., NewsNation’s Nancy Loo noted that less than a thousand protesters remained in the park. Though the coalition was past its permitted time, police allowed them to wrap up with their last speakers of the night.

A small group of activists set up tents in Union Park after the demonstration ended, but police approached and asked them to disperse or be arrested.

All tents were down by 7:20 p.m.

Pro-Israel groups rally outside DNC

Meanwhile, pro-Israel demonstrations around the DNC haven’t yet matched the scale of pro-Palestinian protests. However, that could change Tuesday when a pro-Israel group plans to re-create a “hostage square” at a park outside the DNC to remind Americans of the hostages still held by Hamas.

On Monday, about 30 to 40 pro-Israel protesters, including many from a Baptist church in the Chicago suburbs, showed up to the pro-Palestinian protest. They were escorted by police.

At least one person yelled at the police, asking, “Why are you protecting them?”

“I think it’s sad because I think they have been fed incorrect information they make no mention of what happened on Oct. 7,” Janice Fuqua, a pro-Israel protester, told NewsNation when asked why she felt the need to protest.

What are protesters fighting for?

Police said the inner security perimeter surrounding the convention site was not breached and there was no threat to those attending the convention. However, the people in the convention were not able to escape the division within the Democratic Party.

A protester held up a large sign inside the United Center calling on Democratic Party leaders to stop arming Israel.

“It matters so much to me because I am a Jew and I was always brought up to believe that never again means never again for anyone ever period and that’s not what is happening we are continuing to support an ongoing genocide,” said Liano Sharon, a Michigan DNC delegate.

The protests come after a back-and-forth fight between the Coalition to March on the DNC and the city of Chicago as far as where they can legally protest and what equipment can be used. A judge sided with the city over an approximately 1-mile march route, though organizers argue this isn’t big enough for the expected crowds. Somewhere between 10,000 to 30,000 people are reportedly expected to attend the demonstrations.

The coalition is full of people fighting for health care, reproductive and LGBTQIA+ rights, among other issues, but the primary cause protesters say they’re advocating for is an end to the genocide in Gaza. A group of pro-Israel counterprotesters took over a corner of Union Park as well, though the events remained peaceful.

Those who addressed the crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters included independent presidential candidate Cornel West.

“This is not about some Machiavellian politics or some utilitarian calculation about an election,” West said. “This is about morality. This is about spirituality.”

“All these other communities and all these other nationalities and all these other religions and age groups are here to say the same thing: That this is the Vietnam War of our generation. In the late ’60s, early ’70s, hundreds of thousands, millions of people in the United States were in the streets to stop that war,” Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC, said Monday morning. “Besides the Vietnamese people themselves in the resistance, the United States anti-war movement played a large role. … It’s incumbent upon us to do the same thing here.”

Protesters referenced the Democratic ticket’s support for the “war machine,” with some leaning toward third-party candidates come November.

Kim Obour, 41, from Omaha, Nebraska, told Reuters: “Both of our parties right now are pro-Israel. I don’t think that’s going to change under either of the two. (Kamala) won’t be any different on foreign policy. She has made her stance very clear. She said she wants a cease-fire but until she stops sending weapons or funds there’s not going to be any movement.”

The Chicago Police Department, United States Secret Service and other federal partners have said they plan to do everything they can to protect the city as well as protesters’ First Amendment rights. More than 300 law enforcement officers from all across Illinois and parts of Wisconsin were brought into Chicago.

Snelling praised police and march organizers for a peaceful Sunday night protest.

“Listen, it’s this simple. The Chicago Police Department is here to protect everyone in this city,” Snelling said. “What we will not tolerate is intimidation. We will not tolerate violence.”

The first protest Sunday night included a march that lasted for hours along a route lined by police. It showed no signs of major conflicts. Chicago police said two people were arrested on misdemeanor charges of resisting police and damaging property.

The Associated Press, Reuters and NewsNation affiliate WGN contributed to this report. NewsNation’s Tulsi Kamath, Safia Samee Ali and Anna Kutz contributed to this report.

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