Anti-Israel agitators hurled smoke bombs and expletives in Harlem on Wednesday night after a pro-Kamala Harris campaign party, in a possible harbinger of demonstrations planned for next week in Chicago, where the Democratic Party is set to hold its 2024 convention.
A kefir-clad mob stormed into a packed restaurant and accused bar patrons of “setting Palestine on fire,” an apparent reference to Israel’s fight back in the Gaza Strip after a Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023, left hundreds of Israelis dead.
The video shows the bartender making a phone call and customers trying to ignore the disturbance. Police quickly arrived at the chaotic scene, with rioters honking, ringing bells and shouting, and made arrests.
Anti-Israel protesters clash with police, fire smoke bombs after Harris rally
Protesters set off smoke bombs outside a Kamala Harris rally in Harlem, New York (Freedom TV)
Only a few dozen protesters were reported at Wednesday night’s chaos in Harlem, while tens of thousands are expected to attend the largest rally planned for Chicago next week.
“The NYPD’s response on the streets of New York to a Democratic rally in support of Kamala Harris is a preview of what law enforcement in Chicago will be dealing with next week at the Democratic National Convention,” said John Macari, a former NYPD inspector and co-host of “The Finest Unfiltered Podcast.”
“The Blue City’s soft-on-crime laws and policies have emboldened agitators and those seeking to cause violence during protests.”
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Harris did not attend the event, but New York Gov. Kathy Hockle, Mayor Eric Adams and other local Democrats hosted events in support of Harris and Walz’s 2024 presidential candidacy.
The rioters caused thousands of dollars in damage to small businesses. New York Post It was reported on Thursday.
By not prosecuting, cities are inviting riots to occur.
Anti-Israel demonstrators have been vocal in their protests across the country. In this file photo, a protester burns an American flag outside Union Station after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to a joint session of Congress in Washington, DC, on July 24, 2024. (Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images)
In the aftermath of the unrest, photos also showed protesters scrawling the phrase “Liberate Gaza” on an NYPD police car.
“We’re seeing more and more of these things,” said David Gelman, a New Jersey lawyer and former prosecutor. “The problem is, first of all, they’re happening in cities run by Democrats, and prosecutors refuse to bring charges against them for illegal conduct. By not prosecuting, the cities are inviting riots, and then when riots happen, they’re also to blame.”
The second problem, he said, is that anti-Israel agitators claim that riotous acts are protected by the First Amendment.
Chicago Police Department officers work with ambulances to train Chicago police at McCormick Place in preparation for the Democratic National Convention on June 6, 2024. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“When you use violence or threaten violence, you are no longer protected by freedom of speech,” he told Fox News Digital. “The irony is that if protesters did the same thing in Gaza, it would never see the light of day.”
Chicago organizers have been at odds with city leaders inside and outside the courthouse, seeking larger spaces for large demonstrations on Monday and Thursday, the first and last days of the Democratic National Convention.
Park Police’s quiet disregard puts the safety of American tourists at a national historic site at risk.
A federal judge handed the four groups a loss earlier this week, denying their request to move their protest route into the convention’s secured area. The groups fought back, rallying outside City Hall and accusing the city of denying them permission to bring in their own sound amplification equipment and portable toilets.
This aerial photo shows Chicago’s United Center and skyline on August 1, 2024. Chicago will host the 2024 Democratic National Convention from August 19 to August 22 at the nearby United Center. (Tannen Morley/AFP via Getty Images)
The groups unsuccessfully argued that the city’s restrictions on planned protests violated the First Amendment.
Lawyers for the city of Chicago told the judge that the city has already granted concessions to organizers, including allowing them access to the United Center, one of two locations where the convention will be held. FOX 32 Chicago Reported.
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They will also be allowed to use city-provided sound equipment and a stage in Union Park, the start and end of the approved march route.
The organizers of the protest Tens of thousands About 1,000 demonstrators gathered to plan to call for an end to the Democratic Party’s support for Israel in its fight against Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.
Meanwhile, pro-Israel organizers Protests.
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Protesters make their case near the Adas Torah Synagogue in Los Angeles on June 23, 2024. (Zoe Cranfill/Los Angeles Times via The Associated Press)
According to the Chicago History Museum, Chicago has hosted more major party political conventions than any other city, hosting 14 Republican conventions and 11 Democratic conventions between 1860 and 1996.
But it’s the ghost’s presence that has officials concerned.
In 1968, anti-Vietnam War protests broke out outside the convention that nominated Hubert Humphrey in his unsuccessful campaign against Richard Nixon.
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1968 Government ReportProtesters were invited to show up with a variety of “props,” including smoke bombs, fake delegate cards and football helmets.
This year’s Democratic National Convention will be held from August 19th to 22nd.
