On the third night of the Democratic National Convention, uncommitted delegates staged a sit-in to protest that no Palestinian voices were allowed to talk on stage. This was after the fact that a US citizen mother was invited on stage by Democrats to speak about her son who is being held hostage by Hamas.
The Biden-Harris administration has sent $1 Billion in weapons to Israel with President Biden even calling himself a Zionist while Kamala Harris quietly meets with AIPAC leaders.
Around 40 delegates from the uncommitted movement participated in the sit-in outside the United Center, where the DNC is being held. Even after their request to feature a Palestinian speaker at the DNC was rejected, delegates say they are staying and fighting. A steady stream of politicians either joined the sit-in or called in remotely, from both the federal level and state. For example, Representatives Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, Pramila Jayapal, Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Summer Lee.
“If you really wanted a ceasefire, you’d just stop sending the weapons. It is that simple” – Ilhan Omar
The Harris Campaign called Abbas Alawieh, a delegate from Michigan, and let him know that they would not be granted a speaker at the DNC. This was after two months of uncommitted delegates worked tirelessly to get a Palestinian-American speaker on stage.
On Thursday morning, the fourth and final day of the DNC, it was clear that they would never be invited on stage. With no voice for the Palestinian people who are currently going through a genocide funded by the United States government, the uncommitted delegates were crushed and confused by the Democratic Party. Uncommitted delegates had a doctor who worked in Gaza lined up to be one of the speakers as well as a Ruwa Romman, a Palestinian American elected representative from Georgia.
The Democratic Party proved that there is little Democracy in this country, by denying a Palestinian voice to be onstage. Instead, they cared more about their reputation as a party and didn’t want their truths displayed in front of 29 million viewers who tuned in to watch the DNC. The Biden-Harris administration will continue to provide weapons to Israel with no near end to the ongoing genocide in Gaza despite them calling for an “immediate ceasefire” over and over again.
These delegates used their presence at the convention to demand a commitment to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an arms embargo against Israel, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians over the past 10 months. In the end, Ruwa Romman ended up giving her speech outside of the United Center, and reading the speech she would have given on the convention floor had the DNC and the Harris campaign allowed her onstage. You can watch the speech here: https://youtu.be/T8K5FIp-GN8
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