Protesters March in Chicago on Democratic Convention’s Opening Day
The New York Times
Demonstrators were focused on a range of causes, but many said they were angry with the Biden administration’s approach to Israel and Gaza.
Thousands of protesters marched in Chicago on Monday as the Democratic National Convention began nearby, an early test of the city’s security preparations and of Vice President Kamala Harris’s attempts to project a sense of intraparty unity.
Protesters from a coalition of more than 200 groups, which represented a range of liberal causes but were united in anger over the Biden administration’s approach to Israel and Gaza, walked through the streets on Monday afternoon after an hourslong rally at a park.
The crowd appeared to number in the low thousands, smaller than what organizers had expected. Several protesters said they hoped to influence Ms. Harris and the Democrats to cut off aid to Israel and to do more to stop the war in Gaza.
“It is no longer good enough just to stand against Trump,” said Ellie Feyans-McCool, who traveled from Minnesota to attend the march, and who said that she had not yet decided whether she would support Ms. Harris or some other candidate. “You have to do good.”
The protest drew a mix of people — a range of ages, some in button down shirts and others in protective gear and face masks. People chanted and waved signs as police officers looked on. At least several dozen of the demonstrators pushed strollers as they marched.
