Pro-Palestinian Protestors March in Chicago Before DNC
The U.S. Democratic National Convention is under way in Chicago. Though the party rode a wave of optimism into the event, the question of Palestine may prove divisive to the Democrats' platform.
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00:00Protesters on the streets of Chicago. They're demanding U.S. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris
00:09to clarify her stance on Israel and its war on Gaza. It comes ahead of the Democratic
00:15Party's national convention, a four-day affair beginning on Monday. Harris has already secured
00:24her party's nomination to run in the November presidential election, so the convention is
00:30likely to spotlight the party's platform. But tens of thousands of people are expected
00:35to gather outside the event, calling for the party to limit its support for Israel.
00:41We're expecting tens of thousands. We don't know exactly how many.
00:46It comes as the Biden administration faces criticism for its military support of Israel's
00:52assault on Gaza, a war that health authorities there say has killed 40,000 people since
00:59October. That was after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel,
01:05killing over 1,000 people and taking hundreds hostage.
01:12Protesters here are now hoping the party's new platform will reel in U.S. assistance
01:17to Israel.
01:18I think that the Democrats should have to earn our votes. I think that we shouldn't
01:24just give them away automatically because they're not Trump. I think their policies
01:29are really similar. I'm here hoping that they'll sign an arms embargo to Israel.
01:37The Democratic Party needs to change its policy regarding Israel and respect international
01:43law and respect human rights.
01:45While Harris is yet to present a clear stance on Gaza, she has called for a ceasefire. The
01:51vice president has also condemned the war's civilian casualties.
01:56We've got to get a ceasefire and we've got to get those hostages out.
01:59The internal optimism surrounding the DNC may be just that, internal, as strict security
02:06measures come down on Chicago in anticipation of conflict between delegates and protesters.
02:12Devin Tsai and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.