Eman Abdelhadi’s speech from the “Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws” demonstration on Aug. 18 in Chicago.
Chicago, we all know why we are here.
We are drowning, and our hearts are broken.
We are drowning in debt. In medical bills. In rising rents. In inflation.
We are under attack in this country. The Right has declared war on people of color, on trans people, on women. They are trying ?to dismantle our systems of education, trying to criminalize teaching Black history and the realities of racism, oppression and exploitation in this country.
They openly call for mass deportations and want to strip Black people of voter rights.
Every year, the climate crisis kills more people of heat, of floods, of fires. Every year, the number of climate refugees at home and abroad climbs and climbs.
And in this moment of absolute disaster, of absolute crisis.
The American ruling class —the people descending on this city for the Democratic National Convention — have seen fit to spend our money on killing children in Gaza.
They have provided an infinite supply of bombs to destroy Gaza’s homes, its schools, its hospitals, its playgrounds, its mosques, its churches, its croplands, its infrastructure.
As the most powerful country on earth, they have bullied the rest of the world in the name of protecting a far-right government openly committing a genocide.
Now they want our votes.
They say they have earned them by showing a little more empathy towards those poor Palestinians they happened to kill.
Vice President Harris, we hear your shift in tone.
But …
Your tone will not resurrect the dead.
Your tone will not shelter the living.
Your tone will not pull bombs out of the sky.
Your tone is not enough.
Genocide Joe would still be on the ticket if it were not for this movement, for all of us. Our movement is one of the main reasons that you are now the Democratic candidate for President in the most powerful country on the planet.
You, Vice President Harris, get to run for office because we ousted your predecessor right here in these streets. But it was never just about him. It was about the 40,000 Palestinians he helped kill.
And now we are telling you that “Not the other guy” is not a platform.
We are telling you that you actually have to earn our votes.
And we are telling you exactly how to earn them.
We are telling you we want a weapons embargo.
We are telling you we want a permanent ceasefire.
And we are telling you that we want them NOW.
You keep telling us that democracy itself is on the line.
You keep telling us that fascism is knocking at the door.
You keep telling us that Trump would be worse.
But the majority of Americans, in poll after poll, say they disapprove of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Study after study shows that a weapons embargo would earn you more votes, would secure you this election.
Vice President Harris, why are you risking the end of democracy, the rise of fascism, the return of Trump to protect Netenyahu’s war on children?
You are not the protector of democracy.
We are the protectors of democracy.
If you want to see democracy, look to Chicago’s streets this week. We are democracy speaking back to power, saying we will not be ignored.
We want to house our unhoused.
We want to feed our hungry.
We want to heal our sick.
We want to guard our planet.
We want to build our future, not rob Gaza’s children of theirs.
You may think that the people who make it into the United Center today are the ones who get to shape the future of this country.
That’s not true.
We make the future of this country. We make it where we’ve always made it, right here on the streets.
Vice President Harris, you have a choice. You could join a movement for justice. You could make a place for yourself in history. You could be a leader who chose to listen to her people rather than the interests of the war manufacturers. Or you could aid and abet a war criminal.
Vice President Harris, if you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, WE ARE SPEAKING.
Hear us. We will not be placated by tone.
We need you to act — and we will not leave the streets until you do.
—Eman Abdelhadi
Until January, ask ol’ Joe for the ceasefire. The DNC is all about talk and that’s what it’s supposed to be. So many Democrats have at least given lip service to a Gaza ceasefire and other issues we care about, you very well know Trump and the Republicans have done fuck all but make it worse for Palestinians.
Democrats’ ability to make the protestors’ demands true rest upon success at the ballot box this November, so do not squander this opportunity for change. The demand for a Palestinian American on the DNC stage won’t affect that.
that is why they are in the streets
people have been told they need to go to a ballot box and they did but nothing got fixed
AOC shows how to actually get stuff done.
What does she have to do with this article?
Trumptard propaganda BS. Stop trying to help the fascists win. The Trump Cult are the fascists, FYI. They are far worse in every way, in regard to these issues that you pretend to care about.
Did you actually read the speech? Because it makes a good point. They’re trying to tell her how to beat Trump. Supporting Israel isn’t actually necessary to beat Trump if poll after poll is actually saying a majority of Democrats disapprove of the way they’re running the war. It hurts more than anything when you support unpopular policies.
I agree with the sentiment, and I support an end to the genocide in Israel.
But that’s not how politics works. A majority of Democrats might disapprove of wearing blue hats, the important question is whether it will swing their vote. The key concept is “single-issue voters.” For most Democrats, supporting a genocide isn’t a deal-breaker. They might oppose it in polls, but they will still vote for Harris even if she doesn’t criticize Israel. Meanwhile, there are a significant number of single-issue voters who support Israel, and will absolutely not vote for Harris if she criticizes Israel.
And they know Trump is an anti-semite.
But they will vote for Trump because he has the support of Netanyahu. Taking a stand on Israel will give Trump a target, a talking point he will ride into the ground.
The Democrats are trying to thread the needle, and doing a poor job of it. They have run the numbers, and decided that Biden can keep calling for peace while remaining a staunch ally, and Harris and Walz can be out listening to progressives on the issue, and neither side will be so pissed off that they turn up to vote against Democrats.
It would be a fascinating political experiment, if not for all the children dying because of it.
The name of the game this November is turnout. There are undoubtedly more people who support Harris than Trump, but will they vote? Touching the Israel issue is guaranteed to turn off a large block of voters, no matter which side you support. There’s no winning this issue politically.
Either Harris or Trump will be president in 2025, choose which one more closely aligns to your values and policy goals. If you care about Gaza and Palestinians, I don’t know how that choice isn’t Harris.
Weird how they seemed way less scared to touch one side of the issue than the other. They should be more scared to touch the other side. The protests should be louder, more numerous, and more in their face.
The protests should be louder, more numerous, and more in their face.
What’s the goal of the protests? For fewer people to vote for Harris or for Harris to change her position? Coming out against Israel, even if it’s the proper position, is going to turn off a lot of voters. It seems these protests will, if they have any effect at all, cause fewer people to vote for Harris. A Trump reelection is a fundamental threat to every issue I care about. These protests are flawed at every level. Perfect should not be the enemy of good, and Harris is, unequivocally, a positive for Palestinians.
or choose neither and take a goddamn stand for once and show these puppets of the elites it is all or nothing
or choose neither and take a goddamn stand for once and show these puppets of the elites it is all or nothing
There is no “neither” option. One of them WILL be president. Let me save you time and there’s never going to be a candidate but you agree with on every issue.
If you want to make a fundamental change in the electoral process, the middle of a general election isn’t the time. You literally cannot change the process at this point.
Where’s Joe Biden now?
Do NOT say fundamental change can’t be made or started in the middle of a general election. Protest works and that scares some of you
Where’s Joe Biden now?
I’m going to guess the White House, but I’m not sure, it wasn’t my turn to watch him.
I assume you’re alluding to Harris replacing Biden, which doesn’t address my point. Dem and Rep running, one of them will be president.
The United States has a FPTP system, you’re never going to get a third party candidate to win the presidency. You would need to reform the system.
Do NOT say fundamental change can’t be made or started in the middle of a general election. Protest works and that scares some of you
You legally cannot change the election process two months before an election.
Protest is fine, but you should ask what your goal is. Trump is worse than Harris on Gaza, Palestine, and Israel. Frankly, it’s not even close. So if your protest would cause people to not vote for Harris, then you’re helping to elect Trump. Actions have consequences, just be sure you understand what they are.
For the record I’m for a Palestinian state and against genocide, but there are actions that further those causes and actions that don’t.
Please refrain from using ableist language, be more creative please.
Explain?
- Stupid, retarded, idiot(ic), cretin, or moron(ic): People say these words to imply that something or someone isn’t intelligent or worth their time, but they refer to people with intellectual disabilities. Instead, say that a situation or person is frustrating, ignorant, dense, unpleasant, cheesy, or awful. source
both parties are supporting genocide which is an act carried out by fascists
who is helping who win?
I’m not really sure how to answer that nonsense, except that it’s just fucking dumb to protest against the only party supporting democracy when our nation is in this situation.
Simple and to the point, the USA matters to me more than Gaza, Israel, and the entire Middle East. We need to preserve the democracy in the USA before we can do any good elsewhere.
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pretending to care about Genocide.
You have to be a Republican. Every accusation is a confession
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Their whole schtick is purposely misinterpreting statements and facts to invent a false reality where we can never mention Trump’s Israel policy but we have to focus on just how directly Democrats “directly control Israel.”
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If there’s anything I’ve learnt over the last 10 months is that Bidens red lines are no different from any generic Democrat voter.
They’re seriously expecting votes while their Genocide is still going on. I can’t tell the difference between a Democrat voter and a Nazi.
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