Democrats' Nervous Anti-Israel Protesters Will Ruin Biden Nomination at DNC ​​Convention: Report

Democrats are increasingly concerned that pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protesters will create a public relations crisis for President Joe Biden's campaign at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in August, The Jewish Insider reported Monday.

Protesters have disrupted Biden's speeches and campaign events various occasions in recent months for his public support of Israel's war against Hamas in the Middle East. Some Democrats are concerned that such a disruption, potentially on a much larger scale, would occur during the DNC convention in Chicago, which could become unmanageable and tarnish one of Biden's biggest campaign events and likely presidential nomination. democrat seconds in the Insider.

“If at 4 p.m. on the day Biden should get the nomination, there are thousands of people marching down the street in Chicago, wearing keffiyehs and shouting, 'No genocide, damn Joe,' that's the story of the day ,” Ken Baer, ​​who worked as a speechwriter for several past DNC ​​conventions, told Insider. “Not only is that the story, but every reporter is saying, 'It's going to be the 1968? That's in the back of his mind. We're in Chicago.”

The 1968 Chicago DNC was embroiled in several mass protests against the Vietnam War, seconds on CNN. Thousands of protesters clashed violently with police, the National Guard and the Army for a number of days outside the convention center, garnering national attention and media coverage.

A similar protest could erupt again at the DNC convention in August, which is being held in the same city as the 1968 protests, according to the Insider. A DNC spokesman said organizers give “top priority” to security arrangements and coordination with law enforcement in the months leading up to the convention.

According to the Insider, DNC events are often heavily scripted and tightly controlled. Biden's team tasked with making sure campaign events run smoothly has begun preparing for the convention, and many staff members will go ahead to set the stage for the president, making sure things how lighting, banners and equipment for TV appearances are set up correctly.

“You're not allowed to bring a sign to a convention. If you're in the room, everything is controlled. It's all part of the performance,” Baer told Insider.

But even in a highly regulated environment, it can be impossible to prevent protesters from finding themselves at an event and causing disruption, according to the Insider. Another concern is that some protesters may be high-level Democratic operatives who are not aligned with Biden in the war between Israel and Hamas.

“What makes this difficult is that there will be a lot of people who legitimately should be there, like accredited, probably even … relatively high-profile people who will have access to sort of exclusive areas of the convention,” a source said. worked on past Democratic campaigns told the Insider. “They might protest, but it's not like you can stay out, like a vice president [a state] Democratic Party”.

Nearly 75% of young voters (ages 18-29), a demographic that typically leans Democratic, disapprove of Biden's handling of the Gaza crisis and the Israel-Hamas war, seconds to a December New York Times poll. About 38% of voters who supported Biden in 2020 said the same. There has been one host of anti-Israel you protest activated the University campus across the United States since Israel began its counteroffensive in October.

Anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters have done so interrupted Biden's speeches and public appearances several times in January alone. Several members of Biden's campaign and administration staff have done so resigned in protest of Biden's support for Israel.

The DNC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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