The U.S. and Israel are carrying out a genocide in Palestine. It needs to end. On August 19, tens of thousands of people will take to the streets of Chicago and insist on exactly that. More than 40,000 Palestinians have already died. We will march from Union Park to the United Center, the site of the Democratic National Convention, demanding that the U.S. stop funding Israel and making it clear: We stand with Palestine.
Inside the convention hall will be President Joe Biden, Vice President Harris and the many in congress who make the genocide possible. They supply the bombs that destroy homes, apartment buildings, hospitals and schools. The administration provides the bullets that kill Palestinian kids. U.S. dollars pay for the prison camps where Israel tortures people to death. None of this is hidden. These are facts.
Within the last few days, the U.S. has announced that it is making an additional $20 billion worth of weapons available to Israel. The Pentagon has dispatched ballistic missile-equipped cruisers, destroyers, submarines and fighter squadrons to the Middle East for the purpose of “defending” Israel after Israel attacked its neighbors. Without U.S. backing, apartheid Israel could not exist. On August 19 we will say that a politician’s view on Palestine is a litmus test to judge who represents progress and who represents reaction.
There are those who say that marching for Palestine and holding Biden, Harris and now Walz responsible for the criminal war on Gaza will lead to Trump winning the election. Nothing could be further from the truth. They bring defeat upon themselves. Politicians who want the support of progressives will have to earn it. Those who enable genocide, who embrace Israel, have lost the support of many and will lose the support of many more.
On August 19, Freedom Road Socialist Organization will have a big presence in the march. We stand with Palestine, and we are in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance. Their cause is just, and they deserve our support. Everywhere in Palestine must be free from occupation, from the river to the sea.
On August 19, we will advance a people’s agenda on the streets of Chicago. We will demand money for jobs, schools, healthcare, housing and the environment, not for war! We will call for immigrant rights and legalization for all, and to defend LGBTQIA+ and reproductive rights, as well as the right to unionize and strike. We will say ‘Stop police crimes; community control of the police now!’ We will demand justice, peace and equality. People from every progressive movement will be marching and advancing our respective demands.
Protest organizers have waged a successful battle for our right to march on the DNC. We will be within sight and sound of the Democratic National Convention. Like it or not, those inside the convention are going to hear what we have to say. Buses are being organized in cities around the Midwest. Across the country, airline tickets have been purchased and carpools formed. Everyone who can attend, should attend. This is one of those rare opportunities to be part of something that is genuinely important.
This is one of those “Which side are you on?” moments. Do you stand with death, genocide and the rotting system of Israeli apartheid? Or do you stand with people of Palestine as they wage a heroic fight for liberation? Let those in power know that you think, what you feel, and what you know.
Come to Chicago!
March on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention, August 19!
