Pro-Palestinian activists to march on US democratic convention

When Vice President Kamala Harris flies to Chicago next week to accept her party's nomination for the presidency, she will be met head-on with voters protesting one of her thorniest electoral issues: the Biden administration's aid to Israel.

A coalition of some 200 social justice organisations is going forward with their plan to march at the Democratic National Convention on Monday, despite a late decision by Joe Biden - the main focus of their ire - to step down from the top of the ticket.

Harris has surged in opinion polls since Biden's July 21 withdrawal from the race, closing the gap with Republican nominee Donald Trump.

But some activists say they hold her responsible, to varying extents, for the administration's Israel policy, and the protests next week will add pressure on her to unite a discontented voter base before Election Day.

Hatem Abudayyeh, spokesperson for the March on the DNC coalition, said dozens of coalition group leaders met after Biden ended his campaign and discussed if they should change tack if Harris became the nominee.

"There was absolute consensus," he recalled. "She represents the policies of the administration and it's full steam ahead."

The march will represent a contingent of historically Democratic voters who have said they will refuse to vote for the party nominee this time unless the White House puts conditions on its support for Israel.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll in May, some 44 percent of Democratic registered voters disapproved of Biden's handling of the war.

Pro-Palestinian campaign

Some pro-Palestinian leaders expressed hope that Harris might diverge from Biden on Israel, noting she was the first within the administration to call for a ceasefire.

Abandon Biden, a pro-Palestinian campaign founded to mobilise voters against Biden, believes Harris bears responsibility for Gaza's humanitarian crisis but is not yet launching an "Abandon Harris" campaign, spokesperson Hudhayfah Ahmad said.

The group will be in Chicago and watching for changes to the Democratic party's position.

Organisers have said the DNC march will be family-friendly. Still, some onlookers worry that the combination of a heavy police presence, throngs of protesters and potential ill-intentioned agitators could combust, as it did on college campuses in the spring.

"It's going to be a mess in Chicago starting Sunday," said Emad Salem, a Harris delegate from Texas and part of a group called "Delegates Against Genocide" that is urging the DNC to call for a ceasefire and an arms embargo against Israel.

"This is not just Palestinians and Arabs and Muslims. We're talking about tens of thousands of Gen Zers participating, African Americans, Latinos, anti-war protesters from all over the place."