The City of Chicago has yet to grant a pro-Israel group's permit request for a rally near the Democratic National Convention later this month, despite having approved an anti-Israel group's request to hold a similar rally during the same event.
The Israeli American Council, a pro-Israel nonprofit organization looking to hold a solidarity march at the convention, filed two applications with Chicago’s Department of Transportation at the beginning of July, the group’s chief programming officer, Aya Schechter, told the Jewish Insider. With 11 days until the convention, Schechter has yet to receive an answer from the city, even after following up via phone and email.
A coalition of anti-Israel activist groups, however, received permission last month for a protest route—a so-called March on the DNC—near the convention. The organizations predict more than 25,000 protesters will attend their DNC event, based on previous rally attendance in Chicago.
Earlier this year, Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of a ceasefire resolution, an action that has drawn criticism from Jewish leaders and led them to believe Johnson is more sympathetic toward Palestinian protesters.
The Israeli American Council also submitted a request in June for a stationary rally within "sight and sound" of the United Center, where the convention will take place. That request was denied because it "would be a direct interference with a previously planned permitted activity or public assembly and would create public safety issues," the city said.
The city instead offered to allow the Israeli American Council to gather in a public park on Aug. 22, the final night of the DNC. The group denied the city’s offer because it was too far from the convection, Schechter told the Jewish Insider.
"It seems like we don’t have equitable access to whatever the other group was approved for," she said in an interview with Jewish Insider. "We didn’t get any offer to do a march, not even in an alternative location."
The Israeli American Council has not sought legal challenges over its pending requests for a demonstration, which, Schechter expects, could mobilize thousands of supporters. Even if her group cannot acquire a permit ahead of the convention, Schechter said her organization is "looking for creative ways to get our message across" to the DNC attendees.