Chicago, United States Chants echoed through the streets around the United Center in Chicago, where thousands of Democratic delegates and supporters gathered on Wednesday to officially nominate Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential candidate. Just like 1968, there’s nothing to celebrate!” the Palestinian rights protesters shouted, highlighting the parallels they see between this Democratic National Convention in Chicago and the last time the gathering was held in the Windy City amid a violent crackdown on anti-Vietnam war protesters.

Just as Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey lost the 1968 race to Richard Nixon, the demonstrators are warning Harris that they will not support her unless she ends the United States’ unconditional support for Israel. DNC your hands are red, over 40,000 dead,” the protesters chanted as they waved Palestinian flags while marching in the streets.

Whenever the protest came close to the convention centre, a wall of dozens of police officers blocked the road leading to the security perimeter that had been established around the venue. Jinan Chehade, one of the activists leading the chants, agreed that Wednesday’s protest had been the largest of the 2024 convention. “The turnout is amazing, and it’s a reflection of our call for justice and how big the Palestinian movement in Chicago is,” Chehade told Al Jazeera.

The protesters expressed anger and pain through their chants and posters over the war on Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in the past 10 months. But the demonstration remained peaceful. As the demonstration snaked through the street leading to the Damen transit station, several journalists and some demonstrators rushed to the elevated train platform that overlooks the road to take aerial footage of the crowd.

Law enforcement agents reminded people that photography was prohibited at the station, but their orders were largely ignored as journalists and protesters, including many professional photographers, continued to snap pictures. Police officers, however, singled out two women wearing the hijab and after a brief exchange, they wrestled them to the ground and handcuffed them. Demonstrators gathered around the police officers and chanted, “Let them go”. Meanwhile, more law enforcement agents showed up at the scene to escort the two women and arresting officers out of the station…[+]