CHICAGO — Major news organizations are characterizing protests at the opening day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) as peaceful, despite chaotic footage captured on the ground by the Daily Caller News Foundation and other outlets.
The Los Angeles Times, Reuters, the BBC and the Chicago Tribune, among others, dubbed the pro-Palestinian protests outside the Democratic convention on Monday “mostly peaceful.” Video captured by the DCNF, however, shows protesters breaking through fences surrounding the convention grounds and fighting with police officers.
A reporter with FOX 32 Chicago also said he saw demonstrators throw rocks at law enforcement, though the officers did not retaliate.
(DCNF/Jason Hopkins)
The DNC built a wall around its event to ensure that only “credentialed or ticketed individuals” would be allowed to enter, in anticipation of a large pro-Palestinian protest, with a combination of U.S. Secret Service, and federal, state and local law enforcement guarding the perimeter, Newsweek reported.
Protesters were able to dismantle the makeshift wall and breach the event by picking up and detaching individual sections, video shows. Event organizers attempted to persuade demonstrators breaching the perimeter to return to the ongoing protest march.
The #DNC protesters have broken past the first fence and are now closer to the DNC convention. Organizers begging them to rejoin the march @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/xylCm7nG7a
— Jason Hopkins (@jasonhopkinsdc) August 19, 2024
Police moved forward in a line to disperse the protesters, marching in riot gear and wielding batons as they pushed protesters back.
Police charging forward to break up the protest which breached a fence @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/YZkfAH38Rg
— Jason Hopkins (@jasonhopkinsdc) August 19, 2024
Multiple protesters wrestled with police officers as they were being detained, footage captured by the DCNF shows. Protesters also threw bottles and signs at law enforcement.
This is turning into a riot. Police have made several arrests. Protesters are throwing signs and bottles at cops. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/qI4b0Vn2Ki
— Jason Hopkins (@jasonhopkinsdc) August 19, 2024
Law enforcement arrested at least four people following the breach, according to CNN.
Police taking one rioter away @DailyCaller #dncprotest pic.twitter.com/uCTXqkLGDa
— Jason Hopkins (@jasonhopkinsdc) August 19, 2024
The DCNF photographed one demonstrator holding a sign accusing Vice President Kamala Harris of being a terrorist and Hamas of being “counter-terrorist[s].”
(DCNF/Jason Hopkins)
“When you have people infiltrate a crowd and they want to commit acts of violence, vandalism we are going to stop them,” Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said, according to The Associated Press. “We are not going to tolerate anyone who is going to vandalize things in our city.”
President Joe Biden took a softer tone when referring to the protesters during his DNC keynote speech on Monday, saying that the pro-Palestinian demonstrators “have a point” given the steep death toll in Gaza, Politico reported.
College students across the nation occupied their campus at times during the 2023-2024 school year, and engaged in sometimes violent demonstrations to protest Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza, according to The New York Times.
The Democratic National Committee did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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