Large-scale protests were notably absent during the Republican National Convention (RNC) this week as the left continues to direct its ire at President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee.
The largest protest in Milwaukee occurred Monday where about 800 protesters appeared, falling short of the 5,000 people organizers had hoped for, according to The New York Times. In the following days the number of protesters continued to dwindle, while only one-in-six planned speakers who registered with the city actually showed up.
Some Milwaukee protesters chalked up the low turnout to anger toward the Democratic Party, particularly aimed towards President Joe Biden for his failure to end the war in Gaza, according to multiple reports.
“Part of it is that it’s President Biden who is the one allowing the genocide in Gaza,” Andy Thayer told the Times. “People are angry at him.”
At the 2016 RNC, hundreds rallied in violent and fiery protests that included the burning of an American flag and led to several arrests, according to the Times. At least two people were charged with felonies and multiple police officers were treated for injuries.
“I am very disappointed,” Omar Flores, the head organizer for the Coalition to March on the RNC in Milwaukee, told NBC News. He noted that many protesters were saving their energy for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19.
“A lot of people are very excited to get to the DNC because, you know, it is the incumbent party. Joe Biden has been the target of these Palestinian protests,” Flores told NBC News. “And so I think a lot of people are feeling very motivated to protest against the Democrats.”
Tammy R. Vigil, a professor of communication at Boston University and expert on conventions, agreed that the issue lies with Biden, according to the Times. “Without enthusiasm behind a Democratic candidate, it’s really hard to really rally people,” she told the outlet.
Even those enthusiastically rallying against the former president were not enthused by Biden’s bid. “We’re given a genocidal man and a fascist man, and that is a terrible decision to pick from,” Raya, whose last name was not given, told to Democracy Now while protesting in Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Just 41% of participants in a USA Today poll said they approved of Biden’s first term as president, compared to 51% that stated approval of Trump’s. Biden’s overall approval rating reached a new low in October of 2023, dropping to a mere 37%.
“I think it’s all based on the fact that the vast majority of the mass social justice movements in this country are focusing on the DNC,” Hatem Abudayyeh, the national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, said according to NBC News. “That focus really is on the Democrats and on Joe Biden, and I believe it’s because of the centrality of the issue of Palestine.”
“[W]hen it comes down to it, Biden is in power. Biden is responsible for the war [in Israel], Biden is responsible for supporting it,” Abudayyeh continued. “And it is the core issue that will bring out tens of thousands at the DNC in August.”
(Featured Image Media Credit: Official White House Photo by Erin Scott)
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