15 people arrested in protests outside DNC as demonstrators push for Israel-Hamas war ceasefire, reproductive and LGBTQ rights

Police made 13 arrests on Monday during protests outside of the Democratic National Convention, bringing the total to 15.

At a press briefing Tuesday, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said most of those arrested Monday had breached a fence near the United Center. Officers who responded to the breach were struck by objects and hit with pepper spray, Snelling said, but there were "no major injuries."

The charges against those who were arrested ranged from criminal trespass to resisting, obstructing and aggravated battery against police officers, he said.

Two people were arrested Sunday night on the eve of the of the four-day convention.

An estimated 50,000 people are expected to be in Chicago for the convention this week. Demonstrations are expected to happen each day, with the Associated Press reporting that crowds are expected to be even bigger than the protests outside the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month.

What are people protesting?

While the agendas of the various groups involved in planning the demonstrations vary, an overarching issue that many people are supporting is a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. The Chicago area has one of the largest Palestinian communities in the U.S.

Sunday night’s march, which had over 1,000 people in attendance, advocated against the war in Gaza and in favor of protecting abortion and LBGTQ rights. Other demonstrators are calling for racial equality and awareness of climate change.

Who is protesting?

A number of organizations are involved in the protests, including Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws, the Coalition for Reproductive Justice, the Coalition to March on the DNC, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the Poor People’s Army.

Organizations for the Coalition to March on the DNC, which is the largest group participating, told The Hill that they expect at least 20,000 activists to join in the protests — including students.

There are also some smaller counterprotests happening, with one anti-abortion group gathering to protest the demonstration on Sunday, which was advocating for reproductive rights in addition to calling for a ceasefire.

Why are people protesting outside the DNC?

Linda Loew, a protest leader, explained to the Guardian that it didn’t matter to some of the protesters whether the Democratic nominee was President Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris — just that change needs to be made.

“The rhetoric that comes out of the mouths of politicians — and I’m not saying that some of it isn’t sincere in the wish to defend reproductive justice, or for trans and queer people, or even for citizens on the ground in Gaza — but rhetoric does not stop the bombs from falling,” Loew said. “What we need is action. We need the end to funding to Israel and the end of delivery of weapons.”

“We’re saying to Kamala, she has been complicit in this,” Taylor Cook, an organizer with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, told the Associated Press. “People think it’s just Joe Biden, but she is vice president. So we’re saying, 'You need to stop if you want our vote.'”

"Regardless of who the nominee is, we're marching against the Democrats and their vicious policies that have allowed Israel to kill over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza," Faayani Aboma Mijana, an organizer with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, told the AP.

How has Chicago reacted?

Chicago’s police superintendent Larry Snelling said in a press conference on Monday that “the Chicago Police Department is here to protect everyone in this city.” He praised officers and organizers for an overall peaceful demonstration Sunday night.

“What we will not tolerate is intimidation,” he said. “We will not tolerate violence.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson, who was also at the press conference, added, “We're going to make sure that people have their First Amendment rights protected, that they can do that in a safe way.”

During Sunday’s demonstration, Chicago police lined the march route, which it plans to do for every demonstration this week.

Parallels to 1968 DNC in Chicago

When Chicago hosted the 1968 Democratic convention, protesters and police violently clashed on the streets, resulting in more than 600 people being arrested and over 100 suffering from injuries.

There are some parallels between what was happening in the world leading up to the 1968 DNC and what’s been happening in 2024. In 1968, the U.S. had just dealt with a string of campus protests in response to the U.S.’s involvement in the Vietnam War and incumbent Vice President Hubert Humphrey was the Democratic nominee after former President Lyndon B. Johnson withdrew from the race.

However, the similarities seem to end there. Chicago, which has hosted more political conventions than any other city in the U.S., and its officials seem confident that police have gone through enough extensive training on de-escalation tactics and that the set parameters and locations of the gatherings will allow demonstrators to protest without fear of retaliation or escalation.