Staff Reports
As pro-Palestinian protests grow bigger at colleges all over the country, critics of President Joe Biden say these demonstrations could cause problems for the Democratic National Convention this summer. They worry that the protests could lead to chaos and make it harder for Biden to get re-elected. A group of more than 65 organizations in Chicago and other places have come together to “March on the DNC” when it starts on Aug. 19 in Chicago. They have gone to court, saying their First Amendment rights are being violated because they were only given permits for protests far away from the United Center, where Biden will accept the Democratic presidential nomination.
Democrats brace for chaos at their summer convention as campus protests escalatehttps://t.co/Br3sjrdhpl pic.twitter.com/wM92XECJ1q
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) May 8, 2024
The protesters are getting ready for the convention and say they plan to march there anyway, even if it means they might clash with the police. Some people think that these campus protests, along with the general disapproval of the war by Democrats, will help their cause. They believe that the convention in August might turn out to be like the Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968, when there were big protests against the Vietnam War. This created a lot of chaos and hurt the Democratic nominee, Hubert Humphrey.
Joseph Geevarghese, who runs the progressive activist group Our Revolution, thinks that there might be big problems at the convention unless the Biden administration changes how it handles things. But national Democrats say they are prepared for the convention and will try to keep disruptions to a minimum.
The mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, says that they are working to make sure the protesters stay away from the convention site to keep everyone safe and protect their rights. He is pushing back against the idea that this summer will be like 1968. Many campus protesters are focusing more on their individual universities than on the White House’s actions. They are trying to get their schools to stop supporting Israel’s military.
Even though the protesters have been following Biden and calling him names, a poll found that only 31% of adults in the U.S. approve of how Biden is dealing with the conflict between Israel and Hamas, with just 46% of Democrats approving. One person who is part of the group that is planning to protest at the convention believes that the campus protests are like a sign of what could happen in Chicago and says that the protests won’t go away.
But some people say that the situation now is different from what happened in 1968, when there were big protests. They say that the government is ready to keep things under control. Both the Democratic and Republican conventions are getting a lot of money to pay for security. The Democrats say they are not worried about the protests and that their supporters are still behind Biden.
Meanwhile, President Biden is still working to make peace between Israel and Hamas, and the White House has said it is against antisemitism. But some people are worried about violence and have criticized the campus protests. They say that these protests could hurt Biden’s chances at the convention and beyond.
