“Uncommitted” delegates to the Democratic National Convention staged a sitin outside the United Center Wednesday night to demand a Palestinian-American be allowed to speak from the main stage. Photo by Jacob Kornbluh

By Jacob Kornbluh August 22, 2024

CHICAGO — Hours after a stirring address by the parents of an Israeli hostage, about a dozen “Uncommitted” delegates to the Democratic National Convention started a sit-in outside the United Center late Wednesday, demanding that a Palestinian-American also be given a turn to speak from the main stage.

“DNC left us with no choice,” said one of the leaders of the group, Abbas Alawieh, a delegate from Michigan. “Let it be laid bare for the American public to know that the Democratic Party, unfortunately, as of this moment — I hope I get a call telling me something different, but as of this moment — is choosing to suppress the voices of Palestinian Americans.

“I want to say we’ve been open with the DNC,” Alawieh added. “They could have told us, ‘Hey, you’re allowed to say this, you’re not allowed to say this.’ They didn’t say that. They just said no. They said the answer is no. So we have no choice but to sit here.”

The protest came toward the end of the third day of a celebratory, largely unified convention in which the war in Gaza, which has roiled the Democratic Party for months, was barely mentioned during the official proceedings. The main pro-Palestinian demonstrations had smaller turnouts than expected; some more fringe, radical groups staged protests that including burning flags outside the Israeli consulate, leading to dozens of arrests; and there was a brief disruption to President Joe Biden’s speech Monday night, when a man unfurled a banner reading “Stop Arming Israel,” and was quickly removed from the arena.

Around an hour into Wednesday’s program, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who is 23 and among the 100-plus hostages abducted by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 and still being held in Gaza, were welcomed by the convention with chants of “Bring them home, bring them home!” The crowd stood in rapt silence for most of their stirring, nine-minute remarks, and reward them with supportive applause as they called for a ceasefire that would free the captives.

“There is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East,” Jon Polin said. “In a competition of pain, there are no winners.”

Since the convention began on Monday, the 30 “Uncommitted” delegates, who represent 700,000 Democratic primary votes cast this spring in protest of Biden’s support of Israel during the war, have staged daily news conferences and vigils in memory of those killed in the war. But the sit-in was the first action that threatened the unity of the convention.

For more than an hour, the dissident delegates sat together, surrounded by about 50 supporters — some of whom broke into tears — along with reporters and bystanders. As the microphone passed from person to person, the delegates shared their personal experiences and advocacy against the war in Gaza. They were met with embraces from their colleagues.

Outside of the ring, activists stood on the street in front of the exit doors, holding large banners calling for an arms embargo against Israel. “Not another bomb,” one said.

As thousands of people streamed out of the United Center around 11 p.m. after the rousing speech of the vice presidential nominee, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, some snapped photos on their phones, but most walked by without giving the group any attention. One man tried to heckle the group, saying “Free the hostages.” They responded: “We agree!”

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Muslim-American from Minnesota who is among the harshest Israel critics in Congress, joined for a few minutes, hugging Alawieh. Her colleague Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York had previously tweeted in support of the Uncommitted delegates’ demand.

“Just as we must honor the humanity of hostages, so too must we center the humanity of the 40,000 Palestinians killed under Israeli bombardment,” she said. “To deny that story is to participate in the dehumanization of Palestinians. The @DNC must change course and affirm our shared humanity.”

Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, the Washington director of the left-wing Jewish group Bend the Arc, also joined the protest for a few minutes. “Being inside it was very powerful to hear such a wide coalition of people saying why it’s important to elect Kamala Harris to defeat Donald Trump,” he said. “I think they should be willing to hear the pain that Palestinian Americans are feeling in this moment too. There should just be room for all of us.”

The Jewish group IfNotNow, which opposes the Israeli occupation, also issued a statement of support. “Tonight, the DNC made clear that it values Palestinian lives and voices less than others,” the group said. “It is unconscionable to silence Palestinian voices as they face U.S.-funded massacre, starvation, and ethnic cleansing.”

The statement said the Goldberg-Polins had spoken “movingly,” and that “the absolute least the Democratic Party could do is to recognize the dignity and humanity of Palestinians and give a spot on the DNC stage to a Palestinian American speaker.”

Yaz Kader, a Palestinian American and one of two “uncommitted” delegate from Washington State, spoke as if directly to Vice President Kamala Harris, who will formally accept the nomination with her own address in the United Center to close the convention on Thursday night.

“Vice President Harris, you are surely paying attention right now,” he said. “Is this really worth five minutes? All of this? We’re not asking for money. I’m not asking for a house. I’m not asking for universal health care. I’m not asking for other things that I want. What I am asking for is for five minutes of a Palestinian voice in that building tomorrow.”

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