DNC Welcome Party Gate-crashed by Pro-Palestinian Protesters

Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a welcome party for delegates in Chicago ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
One protester was seen grabbing a microphone on stage at the Navy Pier Ballroom on Sunday night, according to videos posted on social media.
“150,000 people are dead,” the protester yelled. “You are funding a genocide. The Harris-Biden administration keeps sending money to Israel.”
People in the audience could be heard chanting “free Palestine” as the protester was escorted off the stage by security.
A clip of the moment was shared on Instagram by Direct Actions for Palestine, with the caption: “FROM THE INSIDE AND OUT. the DNC CANNOT party while there is a GENOCIDE IN GAZA. WELCOME TO HELL WEEK.”
The group has been contacted for comment via direct message.
Israel’s offensive has killed at least 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, The Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry. Officials say the true death is likely to be far higher, as many bodies remain buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed in airstrikes.
The Lancet medical journal published a letter from three academics in July, estimating that indirect deaths caused by disease and other factors may mean the death toll in Gaza is several times higher than official Palestinian estimates.
More than 92,000 people have been wounded and the vast majority of Gaza’s population has been displaced, often multiple times, the AP reported.
The war in Gaza, now in its 11th month, erupted after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. About half were released during a week-long ceasefire in November.
Protesters marched along Michigan Avenue against Israel’s war in Gaza and for abortion and LGBTQ+ rights on Sunday.
And thousands are set to converge on the convention during the week to demonstrate against the war and demand the U.S. stop sending aid to Israel.
Vice President Kamala Harris is set to accept the Democratic nomination at the convention after President Joe Biden dropped out in July and endorsed her.
The Coalition to March on the DNC, made up of over 200 organizations, has said switching up the party’s nominee had not changed their plans. The group has planned demonstrations to take place on Monday and Thursday, the first and last day of the convention.
“We’re bringing tens of thousands of people—Palestinians, Arabs, Black people, immigrants, workers, students, women, LGBTQ people, folks of different abilities, folks of different immigration statuses, and more—together in a family-friendly protest to show those responsible for this genocide,” a spokesperson for coalition previously told Newsweek.
A U.S. official on Friday said mediators were closing in on a deal to halt the war after talks in Qatar.
Biden said in a statement on Friday that he directed his negotiating team in Doha “to put forward the comprehensive bridging proposal presented today, which offers the basis for coming to a final agreement on a ceasefire and hostage release deal.”
Update 8/19/24, 4:20 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.