Chaos on the first day of the DNC: Anti-Israeli protesters tore down a fence and clashed with Chicago Police
Authorities arrested some of the more violent protesters, although more demonstrations are expected to continue throughout the Democratic National Convention.
Protesters clashed with Chicago Police and broke through a fence in the vicinity of the DNC/ Matthew Hatcher
The first day of the Democratic National Convention featured anti-Israeli protests. In parallel with the event that hopes to boost the Harris-Walz ticket, several anti-Israeli protesters descended upon the United Center, the event venue, to demand that the Democratic Party condemn Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu for the war against Hamas. The result? Smash-and-grab thefts and several people arrested by authorities.
The city was prepared for the demonstrations, with business owners boarding up their stores and the city increasing the number of law enforcement officers to preserve the United Center's security.
However, numerous demonstrators came forward with Palestinian flags, signs and chants against the Jewish state. "Not a penny more, not a penny more, no more money for Israel's crime," read one of them.
The situation became tense when the most violent protesters started throwing objects against the fence installed by the authorities, even knocking down at least three panels of the 10-foot outer perimeter fence. This led to some clashes between the protesters and the police, resulting in some arrests.
">JUST IN: Pro-Palestine protesters have breached the perimeter DNC fence that was installed to keep unwanted individuals out of the convention.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 19, 2024
The protesters are calling on top Democrats to stop sending weapons to Israel and to end the war in Gaza.
"DNC Security perimeter fence… pic.twitter.com/upmYA0BeVU
"Demonstrators breached a portion of anti-scale fencing along the Democratic National Convention’s outer perimeter near the United Center on Aug. 19. Law enforcement personnel were immediately on-scene and contained the situation. At no point was the inner perimeter breached, and there was no threat to any protectees," the Chicago Police said in a statement.
"The National Special Security Event plan employs a multi-layered approach. Each NSSE plan is unique and includes multiple layers. One of these redundancies include the outer perimeter fence, which was erected to prevent entry into the inner perimeter. The Chicago Police Department remains on-scene and is working to clear the area," the DNC's Joint Public Safety Information Center added.
">About 50 protesters broke away from the main group of thousands of marchers and breached an outer security gate near the Democratic Convention.
— Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs (@NickAtNews) August 19, 2024
They were then between that and another gate, and Chicago riot cops converged from either side and detained four people (that I saw). pic.twitter.com/cBVGvvKYx6
Some of the protesters carried signs with even more inflammatory messages, such as the following, "Armed resistance is the only answer: end Israel, support Hamas."
According to a Fox News reporter, some of the demonstrators pushed down additional fencing put up by police, prompting officers to put on gas masks.
As for the authorities' role, Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that at least 150 members of the National Guard would arrive in Chicago in case the protests got out of control.
They were joined by more than 300 police officers from Illinois and Milwaukee, designated exclusively for this event by Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling. The idea is that their presence will relieve other officers and allow them to continue patrolling the city normally without neglecting its citizens.
LATEST
