'Absolute intimidation': Protests outside DNC begin after police arrest 56

More than 1,000 pro-Palestine protesters have rallied just a half mile from a Chicago park where some pro-Israel demonstrators gathered on the third night of the Democratic National Convention, a day after police made 56 arrests.

Police on Wednesday escorted pro-Israel demonstrators out of a park near the United Center as the area was blocked off ahead of a march of activists heading there.

Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protesters in Union Park played hacky sack on Wednesday afternoon. Parents carried children atop their shoulders, and others sat on the grass in the sun as protest leaders chanted, "The whole world is watching."

The crowd included residents of Chicago's southwest suburbs, which have one of the largest concentrations of Palestinians in the country. Busloads of families and students from neighbouring areas came to the demonstration.

Raed Shuk, 48, brought his children from the suburbs, including his 2-year-old son. Shuk, whose parents are Palestinian, said they have come to so many rallies that his son knows the chants by heart.

"Everybody's humanity needs to be equally addressed here and there," he said of Gaza. "I want to help my children learn from this experience that you always like to stand up for your rights and always peacefully protest."

The rally near the United Center was organised by the US Palestinian Community Network, a Palestinian and Arab community-based organisation.

It came one night after an intense standoff with Chicago police at a protest not affiliated with a coalition of more than 200 groups that has organised other permitted rallies and marches this week.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein attended Wednesday's rally and criticised police use of force, calling them an "overwhelming presence."

"This is an absolute intimidation of the American people to silence our protest” she said in an interview with The Associated Press. "...This is an absolute violation of our basic democratic rights."

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said on Wednesday that those arrested outside the Israeli Consulate, about 3.2 kilometres from the United Center where Democrats were meeting, "showed up with the intention of committing acts of violence, vandalism."

'Make it great like 68'

Hatem Abudayyeh, co-founder of the US Palestinian Community Network, put the onus on police to keep the peace when asked about the clashes between pro-Palestine protesters and police.

The police "only have one responsibility here," he said. "They have the responsibility of not infringing on our First Amendment rights."

Abudayyeh led a separate march on Monday but was not an organiser of Tuesday night's demonstration outside of the Israeli Consulate.

Snelling said three journalists were among those arrested, but he did not have details on the charges.

The Israeli Consulate has been the site of numerous demonstrations since the Israeli carnage in Gaza began in October, and protests during the DNC have largely focused on opposing the Israeli onslaught.

On Tuesday night, organisers rallied demonstrators under the slogan "Make it great like '68," invoking the anti-Vietnam War protests that seized the city during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

"That was what they brought here to Chicago," Snelling said. "It's 2024. And the Chicago Police Department proved that. So, let's get off of 1968. Let's stop talking about 1968. This is 2024."

Snelling denied that police had "kettled" protesters, a tactic that involves corralling people in a confined area, which is banned under a federal consent decree. Snelling rejected criticism that the police response was overwhelming.

The US has been rocked by many pro-Palestine protests since Israel's genocidal war on Gaza began, in which protesters say the US is complicit.

Many of those protests have been joined by Jewish protesters, including the Neturei Karta Jewish groups, who oppose state of Israel and have been long supporters of Palestine.