Anti-Israel organizers of a march on the Democratic National Convention are predicting that tens of thousands will show up to march through the streets of Chicago to call for an end to all political, diplomatic, military, and economic support for the Jewish state. They say they plan to stick to the permitted marching area sanctioned by the city, though would not rule out potential clashes if the police department instigates them. 

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday from Chicago, a spokesman for the March on the DNC movement, Hatem Abudayyeh, said more than 270 organizations have signed up to support the march this year, and there could be tens of thousands who show up over the course of the week. 

“Tens of thousands will be out on the streets starting tomorrow … to say: ‘Stop the genocide now, end U.S. aid to Israel, and free Palestine,” Mr. Abudayyeh said. “Our fight is far from over.”

He says his coalition is in agreement that all American support for the Jewish state — political, diplomatic, and military — should end immediately. 

Organizers for the march have been fighting for an expanded venue during their protest, including a doubling of the length of the route they wish to take. They have also asked the city to permit the use of canopies so that medical workers who support the march can work without being identified by employers or others who would retaliate against them for their views. 

“There’s still some things that we need. We need those canopies, and we absolutely, positively need the longer route,” Mr. Abudayyeh said. The current march route is just over a mile long, and they would prefer that it be nearly 2.5 miles. 

During the question period of his remarks, Mr. Abudayyeh said that any violence that occurs over the course of the week at the anti-Israel marches will be the fault of police, not protesters. “The only worry about violence is the worry about violence coming from Chicago police and other law enforcement. They only have one responsibility here … to make sure they do not infringe on our First Amendment rights,” he said. “We protect ourselves, we secure ourselves, we keep us safe. That’s our slogan.”

Mr. Abudayyeh said one of the other complaints about the march is that they would be out of sight for the DNC attendees. Their speaking program is due to be held on a stage at Union Park, about half a mile from the United Center where the convention is being held. 

On their list of demands listed on their website, march organizers say they want more than just an unconditional, immediate ceasefire. They say they want an end to the war in Ukraine, as well, arguing that military aid to any country “puts the entire world in danger of war and targets people’s movements like in the Philippines and Colombia.”

Beyond President Biden and Vice President Harris, march organizers and their affiliate organizations have condemned other Chicago-area Democrats who have described themselves as dyed-in-the-wool “progressives.”

“Democratic politicians who are ‘progressive except for Palestine’ such as Jan Schakowsky, Katie Porter, Debbie Dingell, and Mark Pocan, plus Chicago-based legislators who represent a huge constituency of Palestinians and Arabs, like Sean Casten, Dick Durbin, and Tammy Duckworth, have been the targets of protests and call campaigns,” the organization says. 

Chicago has been preparing for potential unrest for days, fearing for a repeat of the 1968 clashes at that year’s Democratic convention. Businesses have boarded up their windows and shut down for the weak due to the possibility of violence in the streets. 

“We know from past experiences something could ensue so we want to be proactive and get ahead of it,” the owner of a menswear store, Scott Shapiro, told WGN-9, a local Chicago outlet. 

The city’s mayor, Brandon Johnson, said at a recent press conference that the protesters have a right to speak their mind, and that Chicago is prepared to handle any potential clashes with police. 

“To assuage people’s concerns, the only thing that I can say is we’re really good at this,” Mr. Johnson said. “I understand why people might have some trepidation because you have elements in this world that want to take us back to a very dark path … But here’s one thing that I know for sure, as a social studies teacher, our democracy will not only survive, we will come out stronger.”