Meet the protesters planning to make their voices heard in Chicago
Thousands of protesters are expected to gather for the Democratic National Convention starting Aug. 19.

By Jorge Ribas and Michael Cadenhead
August 16, 2024 at 6:45 p.m.

It was never just about Joe Biden. … “We’re not changing a thing. Everything is still full steam ahead,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, who is pledging to protest at the Democratic National Convention that begins Aug. 19 in Chicago, despite President Joe Biden’s name no longer appearing on the Democratic ballot.

The threat of protest has hung over Chicago — scene of the violent 1968 demonstrations — since the city was first selected as the site of the 2024 convention, but it was supercharged by the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. … The elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket is not deterring Abudayyeh or others planning to march. Nor has it softened his inflammatory language towards the Democratic candidate, having previously referred to Biden as “Genocide Joe.”

“It’s still about ending the genocide,” he said. “Our target is the Democratic Party and the leadership of the party and ‘Killer Kamala’ is one of them.” Abudayyeh justifies the monikers for Biden and Harris, saying, “we feel that their administration is responsible for this ongoing war and genocide. We just couldn’t think of a name for Antony Blinken.”

Israel denies that it is carrying out genocide in Gaza. A case brought before the International Court of Justice by South Africa alleges that Israel is violating international law by committing and not preventing genocidal acts. The court has ordered Israel to do more to prevent the deaths of civilians.

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About this story
Videos by Michael Cadenhead and Jorge Ribas. Design and development by Yutao Chen and Jose Soto. Editing by Zach Purser Brown and Libby Casey. Design editing by Eddie Alvarez and Madison Walls. Copy editing by Briana R. Ellison. Molly Hennessy-Fiske contributed to this report.

Jorge Ribas
Jorge Ribas is a senior video journalist on the National desk at The Washington Post. Jorge has reported extensively on politics, immigration, science and health, natural disasters and breaking news.@jribas

Michael Cadenhead
Michael joined The Washington Post in 2022, bringing with him extensive experience as a video journalist. Prior to this, he worked on the breaking news desk at Politico as a video producer since 2019, and prior to that, at Sinclair Broadcast Group since 2018, and local PBS since 2011.