DNC Responds to Gaza Protest in Worst Way Possible
Convention attendees reacted aggressively to the peaceful protest.
![Democratic National Convention attendees attempt to hide a banner that reads, “Stop Arming Israel”](http://images.newrepublic.com/eddaf9db6fbe043c4ede565ea9c9578cc3a00811.jpeg?auto=format&fit=crop&crop=faces&q=65&w=768&h=undefined&ar=3%3A2&ixlib=react-9.0.2&w=768)
Several major lawmakers, from Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez to President Joe Biden, made mention of the atrocities in Gaza during the first night of the Democratic National Convention on Monday. But among the crowd and behind the scenes, efforts to cover up mention of the genocide were still underway.
During Biden’s speech, a Jewish delegation unfurled a large sign revealing the text “Stop Arming Israel.” The effort was quickly stopped by nearby attendees, who blocked the sign with “We [Heart] Joe” sticks while another attendee in a row above the protesters attempted to snatch the banner away.
Another attendee, two rows away from the protesters, used one of the pro-Biden signs to repeatedly hit a woman wearing a hijab on the head.
Sorry guys I deleted my tweet bc these aren’t uncommitted delegates. Reposting the video here pic.twitter.com/NYTsi3eHDQ
— Akela Lacy (@akela_lacy) August 20, 2024
“It matters to me so much because I’m a Jew,” Liano Sharon, one of the protesters holding the antiwar sign, told Al Jazeera after being escorted away from the arena. “And I was always brought up to believe that ‘never again’ means never again for anyone, anywhere, ever, period. And that’s not what’s happening right now.”
“What’s happening right now is that we are continuing to fund and support an ongoing genocide, the mass murder of children, and it needs to stop,” Sharon added.
Audience members at the DNC in Chicago unfurl banner that says “Stop arming Israel.”
— Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) August 20, 2024
After audience sees the banner, they begin chanting “We love Joe.”
Man tries to rip banner away.
Stadium lights over this spot then dimmed and banner was ripped away. pic.twitter.com/3RfK1aUSV4
The response is ironic considering that, earlier in the day, the DNC hosted its first panel on Palestinian rights. The war in Gaza has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians.