SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — UCSD Professor Gary Fields was in Chicago on Monday, protesting the war in Gaza outside the Democratic National Convention.
“When I learned the democratic convention was in Chicago, I said, 'I’m going there to protest,'” Fields said.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the heart of Fields’ research. He says he’s taught a class on the conflict for the last 12 years and is traveling to the West Bank on Wednesday to complete his second book about the occupation. Fields is also Jewish and has friends still in Gaza.
“Some of them are still holding out there- they’ve been moved multiple times. They’re absolutely demoralized by what’s occurring,” Fields said.
He says he felt compelled to stand with protesters outside the DNC.
“What they were saying was: no war, no money for war, no weapons for war. Not in our name. We don’t want any part of this.”
Fields added that this was a powerful message to the DNC, saying there was so much energy.
“...I think this is a message the Democratic Party still has to pay attention to. If they don’t pay attention to this, they run a very big political risk in November,” he said.
President Joe Biden gave protesters some attention in his convention speech Monday night, acknowledging the innocent lives that were lost during the war.
“I think there’s a note of hypocrisy there. If they really want a ceasefire, they would end all this today," Fields said.
Fields says Monday’s protest was peaceful, and the police were respectful. But on Tuesday, ABCNews reported that 72 people were arrested after clashing with officers outside Chicago’s Israeli Consulate.
