Protesters kicked off the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Sunday with large demonstrations in support of Bernie Sanders.
Thousands gathered in the sweltering 100-degree heat and marched across the city. In one demonstration, dubbed “March for a Clean Energy Revolution,” protesters called for a ban on fracking and a move toward renewable energy.
In another, called “#March4Bernie in Philly Against the DNC,” thousands of protesters chanted in opposition to Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee.
“Hey hey, ho ho, HRC has got to go,” they chanted, along with “Hey hey, ho ho, Debbie Schultz has got to go,” referring to the chair of the DNC.
A wide variety of organizations participated in the march. Some chanted “Stop the TPP!”; “Black lives matter!”; “We are the 99 percent!”; “Not me, us!”; “Hell no DNC, we won’t vote for Hillary!” and more.
One protester held up a sign calling for a “Demexit,” a play off the phrases Brexit and Grexit.
When asked what she meant with the sign, Paula Iasella told Salon, “It means progressive Democrats exiting the Democratic Party.”
Iasella said she thinks many progressive Democrats will do one of three things: “vote for Jill Stein, write Bernie in or not show up.”
“Just because Sanders endorsed her doesn’t mean that we have,” she added.
“The DNC needs to take this for real, because it’s serious. There’s a lot of mad people out there, a lot of angry people, and they haven’t evaporated.”
Iasella said she was there to support Sanders and to protest the DNC. “So yes, #NeverHillary, #NeverTrump, all #StillSanders — all the clichés.”
Protesters chanted a variety of slogans, including some from the Occupy and Black Lives movements. They shouted: “We don’t need no super PAC!”; “We are the revolution!”; “No Trump, no Hill, the working class has had its fill!”; “Shut it down!”; “What do we want? Democracy! When do we want it? Now!”; “Lock her up!” and “Jill Stein!”
Source: Salon.com | BEN NORTON
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