Anti-Israel activists who sought to oust Biden and disrupt DNC put pressure on Harris

President Joe Biden‘s withdrawal from the presidential race has left Vice President Kamala Harris, the new Democratic front-runner, to handle the anger of pro-Palestinian protesters upset with the administration’s stance on the war in Gaza.

Protesters against the Israel-Hamas war have been organizing to hold large-scale demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention for months — and those plans will not stop if Harris is the top of the ticket, several stated. Many groups have put out statements since Biden stepped aside on Sunday, making it clear that regardless of the nominee, they will continue their campaigns.

The Coalition to March on the DNC, comprised of several organizations, including the U.S. Palestinian Community Network and the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said it blames the Democratic Party as a whole, not just Biden, for the war.

“On August 19th we will march on the DNC for Gaza regardless of who gets nominated for the presidency,” the coalition said in a statement.

The Abandon Biden campaign put out a memo on Sunday acknowledging Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race but emphasized that “this decision does not absolve him or his party of accountability.” The campaign blasted the fact only that Biden’s “cognitive decline” perceivably pressured Democrats to remove him as the nominee, “not when he was enthusiastically supporting and sponsoring the genocide in Gaza.”

“With the announcement that Kamala Harris has received Joe Biden’s endorsement to be the Democratic nominee, we invite her to meet with the Abandon Biden campaign,” the organization said. “Our demands remain unchanged: call for and pressure an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. The new candidate must address these critical issues and break from the destructive legacy of the current administration.”

Samra’a Luqman, the Abandon Biden campaign’s Michigan co-chairwoman who once supported Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) but was considering voting for Trump over Biden’s approach to the war, described the current situation as “so complicated.” 

“I’m elated, to say the least, but this definitely changes things a little bit,” Luqman told the Washington Examiner. “The Republicans will need to work much harder to retain support from our community with this latest development.”

Behind Enemy Lines, self-described as an “anti-imperialist resistance,” is also moving forward with its planned protests despite Harris signaling that she is more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause than Biden. The group is still placing stickers throughout the city of Chicago that say “Do Not Come Genocide Joe” and “#cancelthednc,” according to photos sent to the Washington Examiner.

“Genocide Joe has withdrawn from the presidential race, but the genocide on Gaza that he has funded, armed, and supported, and that Killer Kamala or whoever replaces him will continue to support,” the organization wrote in an Instagram post.

“No Genocide Joe, No Killer Kamala, No DNC! Shut Down the DNC for Gaza!” the post continued.

Eyes will be on Harris as the all-but-assured nominee to see how she handles the Israel-Hamas conflict and whether that will be enough to win back the support Biden lost in the primaries.

Michigan State University political science professor Nura Sediqe, whose research focuses on young Arab and Muslim Americans, said Harris’s prospective nomination “has brought a spectrum of reactions.”

“Lots of very passionate conversations amongst folks. Some are cautiously optimistic, and others are waiting for Harris to offer very clear signals that she can advance a ceasefire and address the civilian crisis in Gaza,” Sediqe told the Washington Examiner.

Biden’s backing of Israel led key states like Michigan to place “uncommitted” as an option for the Democratic primaries. While the incumbent president garnered 81% of the vote in an uncompetitive race, another 13% of the voters marked themselves “uncommitted.” The organizers of the movement, led by Arab and Muslim American voters, set a low benchmark for uncommitted votes of just 10,000, and that goal was surpassed tenfold with nearly 101,000 votes.

Sameh Elhady, a member of the Michigan Democratic Party and Macomb County Democrats, told the Washington Examiner last month that Biden had lost his credibility with the state’s Arab and Muslim American voters and young voters and that the president had lost his vote. 

In that conversation, Elhady expressed an openness to casting a ballot for Harris, but this week he said he is now reserving judgment. “I think she will have a better chance with us,” he said. “I will wait a little bit until she or her campaign staff communicate with us.”