Gaza ceasefire advocates continue to disrupt Biden's reelection campaign

As US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris get their re-election campaign off the ground, they are being faced with repeated disruptions by activists calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and ending US complicity with Israel, the latest being in San Jose, California, where Harris stopped for an abortion rights tour.

The event, which took place at Mexican Heritage Plaza on Monday, was meant to highlight the Democratic administration's support for the party's popular position, which helped bring Biden to victory in 2020 in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning the constitutional protection of abortion rights. 

However, as Israel's war in Gaza is set to enter its fifth month with nearly 27,000 Palestinians killed and more than 65,000 wounded, most of whom are women and children, many voters, particularly in the left wing of the Democratic Party, are showing growing frustration over the administration's military support of Israel.

Pressure against the Biden administration has expanded across US society - from labour unions, internal federal government staff, and, most recently, a group of Black church leaders. Polls show that around 68% of the US public support a ceasefire.

For those opposed to the war, the mounting casualties by Israel in the Gaza Strip, as well as the occupied West Bank, have overshadowed the administration's most popular positions, including abortion rights.

Like other Biden and Harris campaign stops in recent weeks, ceasefire advocates were ready to confront the administration at what would otherwise have been a well-received event.

Over a hundred protesters gathered in front of the venue around sunrise. Inside the theatre, Harris was there to lead a discussion on women's reproductive rights. There, ceasefire advocates were ready to disrupt the vice president's event. 

Alena Chavez, a reproductive justice activist, told The New Arab that she studied videos of recent disruptions at Biden-Harris campaign stops, which helped her and others to pace theirs for maximum impact.

"I learned to space out the disruptions. It worked out really well. It was almost like a snowball effect," said Chavez, one of several protesters escorted out of the theatre.

Sameena Usman, a delegate for the Democratic Party, told TNA that she entered the venue separately from the other protesters to avoid detection. Once inside, she sat in the back while she waited her moment to speak out.

"I was incredibly nervous to speak up to the vice president, but I felt like it was important to do so because I'm a voice for the voiceless," said Usman, adding that she was heartened by the diversity of the protesters on Monday. "I can't imagine the terror people in Gaza are going through."

Activists say they will continue these campaign-stop disruptions until there is a ceasefire, including if that means taking their protest to the Democratic Convention in Chicago in August.