Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gather for march on Democratic Convention

CHICAGO — Several thousand pro-Palestinian protesters have gathered at Union Park in Chicago ahead of a “March on the DNC.”

Organizers have spoken of tens of thousands of participants who will be participating in the rally.

Waving Palestinian flags and wrapped in Palestinian keffiyehs, protesters are spread out across the park lawn facing a stage from which protest organizers will speak before the march toward the fenced-off conference center about a half mile away.

Most of the participants who speak with The Times of Israel say they aren’t planning on voting for US Vice President Kamala Harris, even though they are lifelong Democratic voters.

Fay, a Palestinian-American from Cleveland, says there is no difference between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, current President Joe Biden and Harris.

“They’re all Zionists,” she says. Fay brands Hamas “freedom fighters. They are not a terrorist group.”

Asked whether she’s concerned about a Trump presidency given his support for Israel, she responds, “what can be worse than genocide?”

Julia, a 30-year-old from Chicago, says she’s leaning toward voting for Harris in November. She recognizes that Harris is unlikely to radically change the party policy on Israel, but the vice president “would at least create a conversation.”

“The risk of a Trump presidency is not worth it,” says Julia, recognizing that she’s among a minority of those present who will vote for Harris.

Organizers are demanding Harris commit to an arms embargo against Israel — a step her office says she opposes.