CODEPINK Co-founder Jodie Evans unfurls our banner during Michelle Obama and Barrack Obama's speeches at the DNC.
As the Democratic administration has spent ten months funneling tens of billions of dollars for Israel to commit genocide and has backed massacre after massacre of Palestine — we have to take action. We brought our demand for an end to the US-backed genocide in Palestine to the DNC delegate welcome dinner (inside & outside!), the river, bridge & across the city!
Day 1: Sunday, August 18, 2024
Welcoming the Unwelcome
We kicked off our week of action by sailing a boat across the Chicago river in solidarity with the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, which has been blocked from sailing to deliver necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza. We “welcomed” the DNC delegates and war criminals arriving in Chicago with a clear message: Let the Freedom Flotilla sail! End Israel’s Genocide in Gaza! In case that wasn’t clear enough, we dropped a banner over the Chicago river immediately after which read “War Criminals Not Welcome Here”. Later, we joined thousands for a march through the city of Chicago to set the tone for the DNC, demanding the Democrats stop supporting genocide! We wrapped the day up by disrupting the delegate welcome dinner, both inside and outside. They tried to drown out our message to stop arming Israel with music, but the demands of the people were delivered loud and clear.
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Day 2: Monday, August 19, 2024
Bringing Voices from Gaza to the March on the DNC
The power of the people was palpable on Monday as thousands unified under one urgent demand: arms embargo on Israel NOW! Our CODEPINK contingent brought the energy to the first march on the DNC, and I am beyond grateful for everyone who carried the banners, signs, and 6 foot tall bloody hands! Later that day we showed up to a fundraiser for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, passing out flyers exposing him for being bought out by the pro-Israel lobby for $1.7 million, and holding a banner at the entrance demanding money out of politics! Despite most people ignoring us, we were able to get a word with Rep. Robin Kelly, who said she’d support an arms embargo on Israel if it hit the Congress floor.
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Day 3: Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Disruptions Galore
Tuesday was action-packed! Starting early in the morning, we disrupted Illinois’s very own war criminals, Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Mike Quigley, while they had brunch at a $1000-a-ticket event. Not only did we make it inside the event and rally outside, but we talked to Quigley himself, who said stopping arms sales to Israel was “nuanced”. At the same time we disrupted their bloody brunch, a group of us disrupted Tim Walz at the DNC women’s caucus with the simple message to stop killing women in Gaza! Walz did nothing as the crowd chanted USA and our disruptors were thrown out. That didn’t discourage us from showing up later to an Axios event with Chuck Schumer (not sure why they kept letting us in places) where we had a series of rolling disruptions that delayed Schumer’s appearance by three hours! While we were getting quite literally thrown out of that event, the rest of our group was at the DNC entrance, educating delegates through street theater that our politicians are bought by lobby groups like AIPAC. We wrapped up the night inside the convention center, where our co-founder Jodie Evans unfurled a banner that read “Free Free Palestine” during the Obamas’ speech!
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Day 4: Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Disruptions Galore Continued
We kept the pressure on for Day 3, kicking off by disrupting the Democratic Majority for Israel luncheon — which Tim Walz attended — both inside and outside. Walz didn’t look at us once on his way out, hiding behind police cars and officers with huge guns. That same day we disrupted Rep. Jamie Raskin at the Environmental Caucus, and joined thousands for another march on the DNC! We spent the night outside the convention center with Uncommitted Delegation, in solidarity with their sit-in protest against the silencing of Palestinian voices at the DNC.
Medea also managed to get our Stop Arming Israel message inside the convention!
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Day 5: Thursday, August 22, 2024
We wrapped up the DNC strong, making sure we made our demands for an arms embargo on Israel heard one last time. We started the day off with a noise demo outside the “Biden Victory” fundraiser that Sen. Tammy Duckworth was attending. We shouted loud and clear that GENOCIDE IS NOT FEMINIST!
Our Palestine campaigner Nour gave a powerful speech before the final march where she encouraged everyone to reject being painted as “sympathetic” to Palestinians and demanded full liberation now.
Then thousands took to the streets in Chicago tonight to tell the #DNC one last time: FULL ARMS EMBARGO NOW! FREE PALESTINE!
Click here for all photos/videos for the day!
We are incredibly grateful for everyone who joined us in person or supported us otherwise in this effort to confront the war criminals at the DNC. Without you all, there would be no movement. It was a long week, but this is merely a jumping off point for so much more. At the DNC, we proved to each other what we can accomplish with teamwork and determination. Now, let’s advance further, towards a free Palestine!
