Pro-Palestinian protesters take the spotlight during DNC. What impact will they make?

CHICAGO — It's been no 1968.

The prospect that massive protests over the war in Gaza would dominate the Democratic National Convention and bring mayhem to the streets of Chicago both energized supporters and instilled unease in others.

But headlines out of Chicago instead have been splashed with Democratic enthusiasm for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz . The Gaza protests and marches, which attracted thousands of passionate demonstrators, have been significantly smaller than organizers predicted.

There's still one night to go, with the highest stakes yet for both the anti-war movement and the Chicago authorities as Harris formally accepts her party's nomination for president.

More: 1,000 protest peacefully in Chicago as Dems await Tim Walz

The pressure on Harris over the devastation in Gaza isn't only coming from the streets.

Inside the United Center, uncommitted delegates are ramping up the pressure for a Palestinian American speaker to address the convention.

Four nights of protests — Sunday through Wednesday — have resulted in about 72 arrests, Chicago police said. The bulk came Tuesday night outside the Israeli consulate, when a group of militant protesters clashed with officers. The others came Monday when a breakaway group of marchers took down a portion of security perimeter fencing.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling scolded reporters for focusing on the potential for "carnage," and the distant violence of the 1968 Democratic convention, instead of the fact that the vast majority of protesters had safely exercised their rights.

"It's 2024. And the Chicago Police Department proved that," Snelling said. "So let's get off of 1968."

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Neighbors mostly unbothered by marches

In most of Chicago, life continued uninterrupted. Road closures were contained to the near west side neighborhood by the United Center where marchers have taken to the streets. Several businesses boarded up their windows ahead of the convention, but there have been no reports of property damage.

Angela Bradley, a public school teacher who lives along the route, said the protests were exactly what she was told to expect by the Secret Service.

“As long as it’s peaceful,” she said. Bradley even did a bit of homework, joining the march Monday and recording it on her phone.

“I’m a social studies teacher so this will be great footage for my students,” she said. “It’s disruptive, but that’s what a protest is. This is what democracy looks like.”

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Violence 'never in the plan' for march organizers

About 2,500 Chicago police and 500 visiting officers have patrolled the convention, staffing vehicle and pedestrian checkpoints and lining marchers' routes. They mobilized in large numbers during the clashes Tuesday with the militant protest group, Behind Enemy Lines, and outnumbered demonstrators there.

March organizers predicted Monday's demonstration could draw between 20,000 and 40,000 people. About 4,000 turned out.

While police stepped in to make arrests Monday and Tuesday, the march Wednesday was largely peaceful and many of the demonstrators were families with children. No one was arrested.

In contrast, the antiwar protests of 1968 were larger-scale. In "the Battle of Michigan Avenue," 10,000 people protesting the Vietnam War clashed with police, and the brutal beatings were broadcast on live TV. About 100 protesters and 119 officers were injured, and 600 people were arrested.

Violence was never in the plan on Monday, the biggest demonstration of the week so far, said Muhammad Sankari, of the Chicagoland chapter of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network.

“To be very frank, violence is not a part of our agenda,” Sankari said. “That was the fearmongering by our opposition and, to an extent, the Chicago Police Department.”

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Sankari said his group has rallied peacefully since the start of the war and rejected allegations they advocated for violence.

“If the consequences weren’t so serious, it’d be laughable if we weren’t talking about the genocide that’s occurring in Gaza. There’s no greater violence than that,” Sankari said. “What kind of violence are we talking about if we aren’t talking about genocide?”

Within the United Center, convention-goers have glimpsed protesters' discontent with the status quo. Dozens of delegates have worn scarves, shirts and buttons that read, "Democrats for Palestinian Rights" and "Ceasefire Now." And protesters have briefly interrupted some convention events. Uncommitted delegates on Wednesday night staged a sit-in outside the convention hall.

“We’re not going anywhere. Our movement is winning,” said Abbas Alawieh, an uncommitted Michigan delegate who led the sit-in. “People see their own humanity in the children whose limbs are being blown off in Gaza.”

Palestinian Americans say protests important no matter crowd size

Hatem Abudayyeh, spokesman for the Coalition to March on the DNC, disagreed with the assertion that the protests were small.

He did admit that the crowd Wednesday was smaller than the several thousand who marched Monday. But he was happy with the large turnout from Cook County’s Palestinian community, the largest in the country . Around 10 local mosques sent busloads of people to the march.

Abudayyeh refrained from criticizing the clashes Tuesday at the Israeli consulate , but he said said the disruptive and violent tactics the protesters used that night would not have been appropriate Wednesday among Palestinian American families.

More: DNC comes to 'Little Palestine' as Gaza deaths top 40,000

Some members of the community were miffed by the relatively modest turnout Wednesday.

“I was really expecting more of a crowd,” said Majed Shaq, 72. “In Gaza they’ve been under attack for almost a year now, and it’s time to stop.”

Haneen Ballouta, who came with nine of her family members, including her parents and children, also said she had seen larger protests over the past year. But she said protesting was still important.

“We think it’s really important for them to hear our voice,” she said of Democratic leaders.

Jewish groups critical of protests, rhetoric

One Jewish leader was unconvinced the pro-Palestinian protests were having their desired effect.

"Their volume does not match their impact," said Dan Goldwin, Chicago spokesman for the nonprofit Jewish United Fund.

David Goldenberg, the Midwest regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, asserted that antisemitic symbols spotted during some of the protests created an unsafe and anti-American environment.

More: Dozens arrested near Israel's Chicago consulate as Dems pick Harris

Police focus on agitators, defend response

Police said they have specifically focused on individual "agitators," rather than worrying about what groups were protesting or their overall message, Snelling said.

"We wanted to overwhelm them. We wanted to overwhelm those people who decided to come to our city and destroy it," Snelling said. "Overwhelming doesn't mean we were excessive. The response was proportionate and ... in most instances officers used less force than they could have used."

Snelling said about half of the people arrested have been from outside Chicago, and pointed to incidents in which a small number of people tried to get the broader crowds to confront police.

"We will not allow people to come to this city, disrespect it and destroy it," he said. "It's time to get a handle on anyone who wreaks havoc on this city."

'The protests will still continue'

Elias Holtz, 42, of New York, an organizer with the Freedom Socialist Party, said the smaller-than-expected crowds did not diminish force of those who did participate.

“We still saw so much anger about what’s happening in Gaza and at the Democrats,” Holtz said. “The people who did show up are making the point that Vice President Harris is still a part of the Biden administration. They want to see more concrete action, not rhetoric."

“Even when this convention is over, that doesn’t mean we will stop,” Holtz said. “The protests will still continue.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pro-Palestinian protesters take the spotlight during DNC. What impact will they make?