Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said that Chicago is all set to host the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in August, even with worries about big protests against how President Biden has handled the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The DNC is happening from August 19th to 22nd. It’s where the Democratic Party will officially pick President Biden as their choice for president. People are expected to protest a lot against Biden’s actions regarding the war in Gaza. They want him to push for a complete cease-fire.
Pritzker talked about these worries on a CNN show called “State of the Union” with Dana Bash.
He said, “We need to understand that Joe Biden is trying to make peace in the Middle East. He’s trying to stop the fighting between Israel and Gaza and send aid there. When you think about the protests, it’s Joe Biden who wants peace. The Republicans, on the other hand, would rather have more war in the Middle East.”
Pritzker mentioned that protest groups who want a cease-fire blocked a highway near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport last week as part of a bigger protest across the country. But the Chicago Police quickly got them off the road faster than other places.
He said, “Our Chicago Police Department got those people off the highway faster than any other city in the United States. And they’re ready for the Democratic Convention.”
Pritzker also said, “We believe in free speech, and we’ll let people protest and say what they want. But we’ll also make sure they can come and go safely.”
Some people worry that the protests against the war might turn into something like what happened in 1968 during the Democratic Convention in Chicago. There were protests against the Vietnam War, and things got violent with the police.
Pritzker said he’s focusing on how the convention went in 1996 in Chicago, which was a good one. He said, “We had a great convention in 1996. It was one of the best in my lifetime. So, I think this one will be more like that.”
He added, “In the Democratic Party, we support people’s right to protest and speak up.”
