Pro-Palestinian activists clapped and resolved to prevent the United States from helping Israel after it was announced at a conference in Chicago on Saturday that Iran had launched drones at Israel.
US Palestinian Community Network National Coordinating Committee member Hatem Abudayyeh made a special announcement during the March on the Democratic National Convention 2024 conference to tell the audience, “So it begins.”
“Twelve days ago, Israel brazenly hit an Iranian embassy compound in Syria, violating international law again,” said Abudayyeh, referencing the alleged Israeli April 1 strike that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds force commander Mohammed Reza Zahedi and six other officers. “Iran has just responded around thirty minutes ago.”
Conference participants cheered and clapped when the announcement was made and renewed celebration when it was reported that Yemeni and Iraqi factions may have also joined in the attack.
“They’ve sent drones and missiles against specific targets in occupied Palestine,” said Abudayyeh. “In addition, there are reports of drones being fired from Yemen and Iraq.”
Abudayyeh said that it was the activists’ duty to prepare protests in response “because the United States is going to ‘defend’ the criminal Israeli state.”
“Shame!” Shouted the crowd.
Protestors chant 'hands off Iran'
After Abudayyeh finished speaking, protesters began to spontaneously chant “hands off Iran” and what appeared to be a call of “glory to the martyrs.”
After they finished chanting, a conference organizer led them in a chant in Arabic, “From the water to the water, Palestine is Arab.”
She hesitantly translated the slogan into English and explained that it demanded the liberation of the colonized Arab land.
The coalition of far-left activist groups is planning to protest the DNC on August 19, chiefly to demand an end to US aid to Israel.
Other demands include diverting military funding to education, housing, and healthcare, legalizing 12 million illegal immigrants living in the US, and “community control” of law enforcement.