Wisconsin pro-Palestinian activists heading to Chicago to join Gaza war protests at DNC

Pro-Palestinian protesters from Wisconsin will be among the potentially thousands of marchers taking to the streets next week in Chicago as the city hosts the Democratic National Convention.

At least two buses, one starting in northeast Wisconsin and another departing from Milwaukee, are planning to take close to 100 people to a massive march Monday in Chicago. The marchers are calling for the U.S. to stop weapons shipments to Israel and to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

In Chicago, home to the country's largest Palestinian community, Wisconsin activists plan to join protesters arriving on charter buses from several nearby states , including Michigan, Minnesota and Indiana.

Activist has hope Harris diverges from Biden on Israel

Jim Carpenter, an activist with Peace Action of Wisconsin, is coordinating one bus for Milwaukee-area protesters. The 40-seat bus is set to leave Monday morning from Zao MKE Church and drop protesters at Chicago's Union Park for the Coalition to March on the DNC.

Another will be transporting students from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee and Lawrence University, as well as activists from a variety of local progressive or leftist groups such as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression.

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Carpenter said he was horrified by what he saw as inaction by President Joe Biden, and initially he planned to vote for Jill Stein of the Green Party. Once Harris became the presumptive nominee, however, his opinion changed.

"I have some hope that she will be different than Biden," he said.

But he hasn't seen Harris take a strong enough stance, yet. So right now, he said he's waiting. He views Israel's punishing bombing campaign in Gaza as morally reprehensible. He knows other progressives don't agree. They aren't willing to risk letting former President Donald Trump win the election.

"I can't vote for somebody who’s doing this, because its a criminal activity in my opinion," Carpenter said.

The demonstration expands on a widespread push for "uninstructed" and "uncommitted" voting this spring. group called Listen to Wisconsin led a grassroots effort to encourage voters to cast ballots as "uninstructed" or "uncommitted" -- effectively sending a message against Joe Biden in the Democratic Primary. The movement sought to demonstrate that large cohorts of the voting population wanted the Biden-Harris administration to call for a permanent ceasefire and end the war in Gaza.

In Wisconsin, "uninstructed delegation" took 48,093 votes, more than double the margin President Joe Biden won the state by in 2020.

Since then, Wisconsin activists have continued to apply political pressure to Democrats with rebranded programming called "Ceasefire First, Votes Next." Pro-Palestinian activists say they will withhold their votes for Vice President Kamala Harris unless she commits to a ceasefire.

Organizer hopes Democrats take note of large protests, change course

Ryan Hamann doesn't see any difference between the policies of Harris and Trump on the war and doesn't plan to vote for Republicans or Democrats in November. He is an organizer with the Wisconsin branch of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and will be in Chicago Monday.

"Neither of these candidates represent what I want to see the direction this country go in," Hamann said.

He argues that most Americans want the war in Gaza to end, and that U.S. leaders could make that happen by stopping all aid and weapons to Israel.

Hamann hopes the Democrats take note of the large protests and adopt a tougher stance on Israel.

"My hope is that they hear us marching through the streets of Chicago," he said, "and they recognize that their current course is not acceptable."

More: What Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde have said about Israel and the war in Gaza

Organizers expect tens of thousands of people will take part throughout the week, though exact crowd projections vary widely. The Coalition to March on the DNC has planned marches for Monday and Thursday that will begin at Union Park, located just under a half-mile from the United Center. Other groups have planned rallies at other times.

The UWM students who set up tents on their campus this spring are expecting to be actively involved. The Students for a Democratic Society is continuing to push for the UWM Foundation to cut ties with Israeli companies. It is one of five groups the university recently suspended for a social media post the local Jewish community called threatening.

Marches planned for weekend in Milwaukee, Madison

Wisconsin protesters who are unable to take buses to Chicago for marches on Monday have planned two Saturday demonstrations in Madison and Milwaukee.

At 10 a.m. on the steps of the state Capitol building, organizers will display children's shoes to honor the nearly 15,000 children killed in Gaza, and speakers will discuss the goals of the Listen to Wisconsin effort. At 12 p.m., protesters will host a rally in front of Milwaukee Public Market.

“I am involved in this action because it is just plain wrong that U.S. taxpayer dollars and U.S. bombs are being used to kill thousands of innocent civilians and destroy schools, hospitals, and refugee camps,” said Janet Parker, a Madison-based organizer.

Sophie Carson is a general assignment reporter who reports on religion and faith, immigrants and refugees and more. Contact her at scarson@gannett.com or 920-323-5758. Tamia Fowlkes is a Public Investigator reporter. Reach Tamia at tfowlkes@gannett.com . Follow her on X at @tamiafowlkes .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin pro-Palestinian activists heading to Chicago to join Gaza war protests at DNC