The anti-Israel protest outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday drew less than half as many participants as organizers predicted, the New York Post reported.
Protest organizers had predicted that as many as 40,000 people would attend the rally. However, so far, less than 20,000 appear to have turned out, and thousands of anti-Israel signs are lying on the grass with no one to carry them.
There is still time for the demonstration to grow in size before the protesters are expected to march from Union Park to the site of the convention in the hopes of creating a disruption that the Democratic officials and delegates would hear.
270 organizations are gathering this week at the Coalition to March on the DNC in protest against Israel's retaliation for the Hamas massacre of October 7 and other causes.
One speaker at the protest attacked feminists who do not oppose Israel, saying "You struggle to be included in the US imperial war machine. We struggle to destroy it." The speaker also led the crowd in chants of "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free."
On Sunday night, the Chicago Sun Times reported that a group of anti-Israel protesters targeted a delegate party held at Navy Pier, where a protestor rushed onto the stage and grabbed a microphone, the paper reported. The protester shouted, “You are funding a genocide."
A protester who identified herself as Jinan also stated ominously, “Welcome to hell week."