Hundreds of protesters rally at park and train station on Democratic convention's 3rd night
CTV
More than 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched Wednesday past a park where pro-Israel demonstrators had gathered earlier and toward the arena hosting the third night of the Democratic National Convention.
More than 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched Wednesday past a park where pro-Israel demonstrators had gathered earlier and toward the arena hosting the third night of the Democratic National Convention.
The demonstration, which stayed largely peaceful, came a day after violent clashes between police and protesters led to 56 arrests.
As marchers passed under a new elevated train station near the United Center that was completed just before the DNC, officers were seen bringing a person to the ground on the platform above. In response, hundreds of protesters pushed against the edge of the station, banging on the glass with their hands and flag poles as they called on police to free the person. The person left through the station’s emergency exit moments later, accompanied by officers but not in handcuffs, prompting cheers from the crowd.
The crowds of pro-Palestinian protesters included many families and people of different faiths. Some kids ate popsicles as they walked, and others were pushed in strollers or rode in wagons. Small groups of Muslims gathered in prayer at a park just ahead of the march’s kickoff, using keffiyeh as prayer rugs. Rabbis were among the leaders of the march, and a small group marched through in the crowd holding a sign that said “Christians for Ceasefire.”
Buses had picked up families and students from area mosques to bring them to the demonstration, including residents of Chicago’s southwest suburbs, which have one of the largest concentrations of Palestinians in the country.
Raed Shuk, 48, brought his children from the suburbs, including his two-year-old son, who sat on Shuk's shoulders ahead of the march. Shuk, whose parents are Palestinian, said they have come to so many rallies that his son knows the chants by heart.
“Everybody’s humanity needs to be equally addressed here and there,” he said of Gaza. “I want to help my children learn from this experience that you always like to stand up for your rights and always peacefully protest.”
