The United Auto Workers union (UAW) joined calls for Palestinian-Americans to speak on the final night of the Democratic National Convention, suggesting Democrats risk losing the election amid ongoing protests over the administration’s handling of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
“If we want to end the war in Gaza, we cannot look away or ignore the voices of Palestinian Americans in the Democratic Party,” the UAW said. Written on Thursday On social platform X.
“If we want peace, if we want true democracy, and if we want to win this election, Democrats should invite a Palestinian-American speaker from the stage of the Democratic National Convention tonight,” the union added.
Hundreds of thousands of people voted “independent” in the presidential primary as a sign of opposition to President Biden’s approach to the conflict and his support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Vice President Harris, who is now the leading candidate since Biden dropped out of the race, is expected to send a message about the conflict in a speech on Thursday night that is expected to focus primarily on policy issues such as the economy and abortion.
The UAW is endorsing Harris in the November election, and union president Sean Fain spoke on Monday on the opening night of the convention in Chicago. He did not mention the conflict in his speech.
The coalition called in December for an “immediate and permanent Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire” after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Palestine led to Israeli forces decimating the Gaza Strip.
Hamas killed about 1,200 people in its initial attacks on Israel and took about 250 hostages, and the local health ministry estimates that more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since then.
Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at the convention this week to denounce the administration’s policies toward Israel and Gaza. The protesters accuse Biden and Harris of supporting what they claim is genocide, but most pro-Israel Democrats and Republicans object to the term genocide and say it downplays Hamas’ role in the conflict.
The protests were smaller than initially expected and generally peaceful, but numerous protesters were reportedly arrested during clashes with police on Tuesday.
The Democratic National Convention did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the list of speakers for Thursday has not yet been released.
