CHICAGO, Illinois — About a dozen representatives of the pro-Palestinian “Uncommitted” movement staged a sit-in outside the Democratic National Convention, demanding a speaking opportunity, but did not speak to Breitbart News.
The sit-in began Thursday night after the parents of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg Polin, who lost his left hand and forearm in an Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack and was kidnapped from the Nova music festival in southern Israel, remained held captive in Gaza.
Representative Abbas Alawieh, one of the movement’s co-founders, led the walkout from the convention, demanding that Democrats allow pro-Palestinian speakers equal time to protest the Gaza war, Breitbart News reported.
He and several colleagues sat in outside the United Center, and the sit-in continued through the night and was visited by several left-leaning lawmakers, including Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York). Fellow left-leaning “Squad” member Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) addressed the group as Breitbart News watched.
One attendee was overheard saying that Hersh’s father, John Pollin, had come to watch the protest and voiced his support for their efforts to elevate a pro-Palestinian voice on stage, going beyond what Democratic leaders had done.
Another person said nothing had changed as of midday Thursday – meaning the Democrats had not agreed to adding a pro-Palestinian speaker – and the sit-in would continue into the night if necessary.
Beyond the speaking hours, members of the movement also hope to persuade Democrats to cut off aid to Israel, especially military aid. Banners at the venue read “Arms Embargo Now” and “No More Bombs.”
After an initially friendly exchange, Breitbart News attempted to interview “Uncommitted” participants on camera, but they declined, even though they had publicly stated they wanted a broader audience for the demonstration.
One representative warned his colleagues that Breitbart was a “distributor of far-right disinformation” and that they should “not talk to far-right disinformation sites” but rather to “the many reporters here who are spreading the news that we need to be telling.”
A Democratic National Convention delegate participating in a pro-Palestinian “unfettered” sit-in outside the United Center calls on fellow protesters not to speak to Breitbart News, August 22, 2024. (Joel Pollack/Breitbart News)
The delegation will be represented by only 30 delegates. Tournament The House of Representatives has about 4,700 members, but each represents thousands of voters, and battleground states like Michigan could decide the outcome of November’s election between Vice President Kamala Harris (Democrat) and former President Donald Trump (Republican).
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
