(CHICAGO) — Outside the United Center in Chicago, as former President Bill Clinton took the stage on the third night of the Democratic National Convention, delegates from the Uncommited movement – whose support for Vice President Kamala Harris depends on her support of an arms embargo on Israel – announced to reporters that the DNC had rejected their request to bring a Palestinian-American speaker to the main stage.
“We were hopeful because Vice President Harris’ team reached out to us. They called, they had discussions and we told them our policy demands,” delegate Abbas Alawieh told reporters on Wednesday. “I got a call shortly after our press conference earlier saying, ‘Abbas, the answer is no.’ I said, ‘What do you mean? We are just asking for our voices to be heard.'”
The group of about 40 delegates and supporters outside staged a 24-hour “sit-in,” telling reporters they would not get up until Harris or someone on her team called them and gave them an answer other than “no.”
“We need to be heard. This level of oppression is unacceptable,” Alawieh said. “I’m sitting here and I’m not going anywhere, Roger, I’m not going anywhere. All of you, all of you, all of you need to change your mind. I hope you change your mind. Call me if you change your mind.”
Michael Tyler, communications director for the Harris campaign, responded to ABC News’ Fritz Farrow at Thursday’s morning briefing.
“There’s been a lot of talk about unity this week, so why won’t you allow a Palestinian-American to speak at the convention?” Tyler was asked. “And to simply say Trump would be worse for Arab Americans – how can that not mean the campaign is taking their votes for granted?”
“No, we absolutely do not take their voices for granted,” Tyler replied. “I think as far as the unaffiliated delegates at this convention go, we are proud and glad that they are here. We have worked throughout the convention to engage them. We are proud that we have had panels with members of the unaffiliated movement,” he said.
“We’re proud that the Vice President herself worked with the leadership of the Uncommon movement in Michigan a few weeks ago. That’s why the campaign has continued to work with the leadership of the Uncommon movement throughout this convention,” he continued. “What was already clear and speaks to further progress in this campaign is a Vice President who is committed to ending the violence and the conflict and making sure that we resolve this conflict with a permanent ceasefire that allows Israel to fully protect itself, that continues to ensure that we receive comprehensive humanitarian assistance, but also ensures that the people of Gaza can live peacefully and thrive there.”
Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had previously called on the DNC in a post on X to bring a Palestinian-American speaker on stage.
“Just as we must honor the humanity of the hostages, we must also center the humanity of the 40,000 Palestinians killed under Israeli bombardment,” she wrote. “To deny this history is to participate in the dehumanization of Palestinians. The @DNC must change course and affirm our shared humanity.”
In an emotional moment during the DNC on Wednesday, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin – Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg – who have been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, spoke to the audience about their grief over the past 10.5 months. More than 1,200 Israelis were killed and hundreds taken hostage in the surprise terrorist attack that day.
The unaffiliated delegates hoped that Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric intensive care physician who spent time working in Gaza for the nonprofit organization Doctors Without Borders, would also speak about her experiences on the main stage.
The DNC gave the movement the opportunity to speak at several non-televised DNC “panel discussions”, but the party refused to accommodate the unaffiliated movement’s demands beyond that.
“I don’t need to be convinced how dangerous Trump is,” Alawieh said. “We know we won’t be heard in the Republican Party. There is not a single Republican federal official who even supports a ceasefire, but we are Democrats. We are here. We are challenging the system.”
According to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 40,000.
“They can try to suppress us. We will not go anywhere before November. We are people who mobilize people. We are people of the movement,” Alawieh said. “We will not go anywhere in four years. We will not go anywhere in eight years. We are people who are committed. They will not get rid of us, and we will be committed within the system.”
Harris has clearly tried to address the conflict in the Gaza war and thus bridge a large divide within the party that was created by the war between Israel and Hamas.
While she has echoed Biden’s unwavering support for Israel, she notably said after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 25, “Israel has the right to defend itself, and the way it does so is important” – especially with regard to protecting civilians.
The Harris campaign’s decision threatens to jeopardize this delicate position. While a Palestinian flag was unfurled in the congressional hall during President Joe Biden’s speech on Monday, there were no other significant protests within the assembly.
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