Pro-Israel group fighting for permit to march near DNC
Israeli American Council CEO Elan Carr on his group's longstanding request for a permit to march near the DNC while anti-Israel groups were allegedly approved for their own demonstrations.
A pro-Israel group claims its fight for a permit to protest outside the Democratic National Convention next week has fallen flat, despite anti-Israel groups having luck with their approval.
"It's an outrage," said Elan Carr, CEO of Israeli American Council (IAC), the group who applied for two permits with Chicago's Department of Transportation last month.
"We put in a permit to march, to exercise our First Amendment rights. Not only to stand up for Israel, but to stand up for America, because the people who love Israel are the people who stand with America, wave American flags, not burn them. Sadly, not only has that permit not been granted to us, but in the interim, a permit has been granted for anti-Israel groups, the same groups that do burn the American flag…"
Elan Carr, CEO of Israeli American Council, claims his organization has not received a permit to march at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week while pro-Palestinian groups have been given the green light. (Fox & Friends First)
Carr told "Fox & Friends First" Monday that he feels the alleged differential treatment is "inequitable" and went on to allege that his group's effort to show photos of American hostages in Gaza at Midway and O'Hare airports was also denied.
"They wouldn't even put it [the rejection] in writing. It was a phone call," he told co-host Carley Shimkus.
"We said, ‘Can you give us an actual denial in writing?’ They said, 'No, we're not going to put it in writing. It's going to be a phone call only.' I'll tell you, this is bad stuff and this should be looked into," he added.
With the DNC just one week away, Carr's message to Democratic nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris is clear.
PRO-ISRAEL COLLEGE STUDENTS GATHER FOR SUMMIT, VOW TO ‘TAKE BACK’ CAMPUSES FROM RADICAL AGITATORS
Demonstrators gather around a burning U.S. flag and effigy during a pro-Palestinian protest, on the day Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 24, 2024. (REUTERS/Seth Herald)
"We are here. Proud Americans who stand proudly patriotic for our country, for the United States, and stand with Israel, and we have expectations of our government," he said.
"We expect the United States of America to stand strongly with the State of Israel, as it really fights for its life against these forces of darkness in the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies, like Hezbollah, like Hamas."
Earlier this year, the city of Chicago denied a permit request made by the IAC to hold a stationary protest within "sight and sound" of the convention.
According to a letter obtained by Jewish Insider, the city cited potential "public safety issues" due to insufficient "city resources" to "secure an assembly at the location for the dates and times requested."
The city instead offered an alternative location two to threes blocks from the convention, which IAC rejected.
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At the same time, anti-Israel protesters remain locked in legal battles with the city as they insist their First Amendment rights have been violated after some officials allegedly blocked their own permit requests to march within "sight and sound" of the DNC.
The Chicago Tribune stated that Mayor Brandon Johnson's office reportedly offered these protesters a route "adjacent" to the United Center, the site of this year's DNC.
When reached for comment, the city of Chicago provided Fox News Digital with the following statement:
"The City of Chicago fully supports the rights of individuals and groups to safely exercise their First Amendment right to protest. While ongoing litigation prevents us from commenting on specific details about the route or assembly area, we can confirm that demonstrators will be able to protest within sight and sound of the United Center. No Assembly or Parade permits near the United Center or McCormick place have been issued at this time."
Fox News' Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
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