Protests Against Israel Support: Organizers Coordinate Bus Drop-Offs for Chicago Rally

Anti-Israel protests are set to take place in Chicago this week, with organizers expecting a large turnout, coordinating nationwide bus drop-offs to bring demonstrators to the city, Fox News reports.

Permits for rallies on the Democratic National Convention’s opening and closing evenings, Monday and Thursday, sought space for tens of thousands of demonstrators opposed to Israel’s fight against the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip.

The anti-Israel agitators, who are also calling for other far-left policies like the legalization of all illegal immigrants, have also called for a rally at the Israeli consulate Tuesday night.

Protesters showed up already over the weekend, before the DNC, to raise attention for their causes at Union Park, the legally approved staging area for the larger marches. Organizers are hoping people chartering buses in to town will coordinate with them to arrange for drop-offs at the park, according to the website for March on the DNC 2024.

“Chicago is perfectly positioned as reachable by every activist group in the country,” said Paul Mauro, a former NYPD inspector who warned that the city’s well-known struggles with crime and police staffing might leave the place vulnerable.

Some security experts warn agitators in the crowd may be hoping to provoke clashes with police and cause further chaos. Some groups called for as much in flyers promoting the demonstrations, with slogans like “Make it great like ‘68.”

That’s a reference to the violent week of clashes during Chicago’s 1968 DNC, when hundreds of people were arrested and dozens were hospitalized – both police and demonstrators. City lawyers blamed “troublemakers” from out of town, while a federal report dubbed the law enforcement response as a “police riot.”

The chaos of 1968 aside, Chicago has hosted more major political conventions than any other U.S. city, in part because it’s easy to get to in the center of the country.

Chicago’s Union Station is a major transportation hub, served by 11 Amtrak routes, the high-speed commuter rail Metra, and five major interstates, making it easily accessible by car. The city is also connected to a network of Midwestern cities via charter buses and national bus routes.

The city saw a surge in violence over the weekend leading up to the DNC, with police statistics reporting 30 shootings and five homicides.