Protesters in The Democratic National Convention should consider itself informed: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says if protests turn violent, police will make arrests.
“If there are rioters, they will be arrested and convicted,” Pritzker told CNN. State of the Union Jake Tapper hosts Sunday.
Taber asked Pritzker whether this year’s conference would resemble the 1968 one in Chicago, which was “overshadowed by violent clashes between police and protesters protesting the Vietnam War.” Now, protesters will oppose the Biden-Harris administration’s support for Israel’s nearly year-long assault on Gaza and the escalation of the conflict in the broader region. Protesters have also appeared at speeches by Vice President Kamala Harris, and there is an organized movement calling on Harris to support an arms embargo on Israel.
How worried are you about [protesters] “Could this disrupt the actual conference, including uncommitted delegates inside the conference hall?” Tapper asked.
“I know reporters love to go back to 1968 because there’s a lot of good footage you can point to … but the reality is that the vast majority of protesters — and we’ve seen this before — are peaceful protesters,” the Illinois governor responded. “They want their voices to be heard. And their voices will be heard, no question about it. And we’re going to protect that.”
Pritzker pointed to another difference between 1968 and 1924: The party had “rallied” around Harris. That was not the case with then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey. The police, he said, had also changed.
“The way police work has changed now, and we have the technology to do it,” Pritzker added. “The protesters are actually protesting something very far from here. It’s very important, but it’s not about recruiting people from here and sending them out. So it’s a very different situation. And frankly, I expect the protests to be peaceful.”
But Pritzker warned that if the protests turn violent, police would not hesitate to arrest anyone. “If there are rioters, they will be arrested and charged,” he said. “But the fact is that the vast majority of protesters — and we’ve seen this before — are peaceful protesters. They want their voices to be heard. And they will be heard, no question about it. And we will protect that.”
Protests are not uncommon at party conventions. In 2016, Bernie Sanders supporters staged a sit-in and walkout to show their opposition to then-candidate Hillary Clinton. But the protests remained largely peaceful.
