Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) visited an “Uncommitted” movement sit-in on Wednesday during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and expressed her solidarity with participants, going as far as “sharing a tearful hug with the sit-in organizer,” according to Minneapolis radio station WCCO.
Omar, a member of the progressive “Squad” in the House, has long targeted U.S. support for Israel. Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), another “Squad” member, also attended the sit-in, which took place inside the DNC’s security perimeter.
Longtime host of the independent news program “Democracy Now!” Amy Goodman interviewed Omar at the protest, which questioned why no Palestinian representation was invited onto the DNC dais. Omar told Goodman that she had put in requests for a Palestinian speaker to the Harris-Walz campaign and the DNC.
Omar called herself “hopeful” that “they will hear that it’s not just me who made that request; there’s multiple leaders within the Democratic Party who are here who have also made that request.”
Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) pushed back at the idea that a Palestinian speaker should have been given a speaking slot.
“There were several people who spoke at this convention. One of them was the head of the United Auto Workers, a great and respected labor leader in our country, who has been calling, even today, for a ceasefire,” Pelosi said of Shawn Fein. “He could have brought it up.”
Pelosi added that fellow “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who addressed the audience on Aug. 19, the first day of the convention, “advocating for what you’re advocating. She could have spoken in her remarks about this.”
