On Saturday, April 13, the March on DNC conference, a coalition of far-left groups, was held in Chicago to organize a protest for when the Democratic National Committee (DNC) names Joe Biden as a presidential candidate. The main reason for the demonstration is related to the US government’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas.
During the conference, attended by hundreds of people from 75 different organizations, different ways to disrupt the Democratic convention, which will be held at the United Center from August 19 to 22 and will be attended by about 50,000 people, were discussed.
Joe Iosbaker, a leader of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said at the conference that “protest is a right, not just for the rich and white,” journalists Olivia Reingold and Eli Lake noted in an extensive article in The Free Press. The activist added that the Democratic National Committee had to be given “a welcome” like the one in “1968,” referencing the street riots that culminated in the arrest of 600 people during the event held that year.
“Are we still gonna march within sight and sound? Are we gonna let Genocide Joe come here and not hear us and see us? No! From Chicago to Palestine, protesting is not a crime,” Iosbaker said during the meeting.
Some of the speakers explained, among other things, how to spot members of the Secret Service or how to say “Death to America” in Farsi when they heard about Iran’s recent attack on Israel.
Jerry Boyle, a lawyer and volunteer with the National Lawyers Guild, a nonprofit that says it acts “as the legal arm of social movements and the conscience of the legal profession,” explained to the public how to avoid arrest and “what you can get away with.”
Reingold and Lake indicated in the brief that some speakers had problems with US security agencies. In fact, the FBI raided the homes of four of them for alleged links to terrorist organizations.
There were also problematic people among the attendees. One of them was charged at the federal level with work for the Russian government, and another, self-defined as an anarchist, distributed a magazine that included drawings of machetes and an essay titled In Defense of Looting.
A councilman close to Mayor Brandon Johnson supports sabotage of the DNC
Byron Sigcho-López, Ward 25 Councilman and member of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s leadership team, was another of the speakers at the conference. “We are committed to fighting back. We are not going to be intimidated,” he shouted. “Let’s see us on the streets. Democracy is defended in the streets.”
Sigcho-López also participated in a demonstration in March, which was organized by Behind Enemy Lines, a self-described “anti-imperialist” movement that was banned in Germany for celebrating the October 7 massacre. During the protest, the councilman spoke after a speaker set fire to an American flag in honor of Aaron Bushnell, the soldier who carried out an act of self-immolation in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC to protest against the “genocide” in Gaza.
When asked by a local journalist if he agreed with Sigcho-López’s participation in that event, Mayor Johnson responded: “I support the First Amendment.”
The councilman was also defended by JB Pritzker, the Democratic governor of Illinois. “I wouldn’t have done it, and I wouldn’t encourage anyone to do it, but it’s his right to do it,” he said.
“It’s shocking to see self-proclaimed Democrats declare war on the sitting president”
However, after images of Sigcho-López speaking in front of the burned American flag, several Democratic council members expressed strong criticism of the activist. “We are not accusing him of violating any constitutional right, but we are accusing him of his conduct ... We hold him accountable for his actions,” said District 29 Councilman Chris Taliaferro, who, along with eight other colleagues, signed a letter to the mayor demanding the removal of Sigcho-López from his position as chair of the Housing and Real Estate Committee of the City Council.
In statements to The Free Press, some members of the Democratic Party expressed concern about what may happen during the convention since they believe that Chicago is not prepared for the protests.
Democratic Councilman Gilbert Villegas argued that these anti-DNC groups are “like January 6” in their mission to obstruct a key part of the American political process.
Other politicians who spoke to The Free Press said they want to know why one of the city’s top Democrats would want to sabotage his own party’s convention.
Speaking to The Free Press, Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of the Bronx, New York, warned that radicals could jeopardize not only the Democratic National Committee but also Biden’s re-election chances in November. “Donald Trump has no greater friend than the Free Palestine movement, which seems intent on undermining Joe Biden by any means necessary.” And he added: “It’s shocking to see self-proclaimed Democrats declare war on the sitting president.”
According to ABC News, the Department of Homeland Security is monitoring the threat. It believes that national and foreign subversives may be trying to undermine the political process, as Councilman Villegas maintained.
