Throughout the week of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, a coalition of anti-capitalist and pro-Palestine activist groups rallied each day in the event’s vicinity, sometimes leading to conflict with law enforcement.
On Monday, August 19, thousands of protesters gathered at Union Park for a permitted event titled “March on the DNC” primarily opposing Kamala Harris’s support for Israel.
While the march itself remained peaceful, some began shaking the fence upon arriving at the outer limits of the convention itself.
They managed to breach the first of two layers of fence, entering what had been a no-man’s land.
Within minutes, police managed to assemble a formation on each side of the no-man’s land, and squeeze them back out.
Some protesters returned to Union Park and assembled tents, echoing a tactic many pro-Palestine college students had used during the school year, but were quickly told to take them down. They complied.
Among the more bizarre figures who showed up was Rachel Siegel, an apparent fascist carrying a sign adorned with racist slogans and a swastika.
The following night, August 20, a more hardcore coalition of protesters gathered in front of the Israeli Consulate in Chicago.
Ahead of the event, Rachel Siegel appeared again, this time, with a banner representing the white nationalist organization “White Lives Matter.”
When the march began, the situation almost immediately devolved into a shoving match between police and protesters.
Police and protesters challenged each other throughout the streets of Chicago as darkness fell, sometimes leading to incredibly close-quarters struggles. In one police versus crowd shoving match, my feet were entirely off the ground and I was filming squeezed between the two sides.
In the end, an estimated 60 people were arrested.
On Wednesday, August 21st, some activists recovered and supported their friends getting out of jail… while others gathered for another march. Rachel Siegal arrived, this time with a friend carrying a flag of National Bolshevism, an ideology advocating the hybridization of Naziism and Communism.
The march itself remained peaceful. Police could be seen reinforcing the park, behind which three layers of fence now separated the protesters from the convention.
As the protest passed by to a train station, however, chaos ensued as two people were apparently arrested inside.
They were apparently let go, and the protest continued without issue.
On Thursday, August 22nd, the final night of the convention, protesters gathered for the last “March on the DNC.” Marshals attempted to separate their participants from the provocateurs who showed up, including Rachel, who this time came wearing a swastika.
This didn’t prevent violence from breaking out anyhow, before the march began.
While the march had gone past the DNC again without incident, police told organizers that their permit would only be valid until 8pm, effectively shutting it down once it circled back to Union Park.
Some sat in, refusing to leave.
Eventually, about a hundred out of the thousands who had participated agreed to stay, and try again to get to the DNC itself. This time, they marched directly into the first police line they faced.
They didn’t break through.
Instead, as Vice President Harris’s speech concluded, protesters confronted attendees. They also blocked vehicles, demanding drivers pledge their support for Palestine.
Kamala Harris may need to consolidate support from those left-of-center to win in November, but for pro-Palestine activists who marched on the DNC, other options like Cornel West and Jill Stein showed up outside and courted their support. As for the Harris campaign, the activists came up with a new nickname: Killer Kamala.
