Noting campus protests, Democrats are preparing for intense action at their summer convention

By WILL WEISSERT
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — As pro-Palestinian demonstrations escalate on college campuses around the country, critics of President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war suggest this summer’s Democratic National Convention could be hit by protests and scenes of chaos that undermine his reelection. Already, more than 65 organizations in Chicago and elsewhere have formed a coalition to “March on the DNC” when it opens there on Aug. 19. Protesters preparing for the convention hope to channel the anger on many campuses, raising the specter of a replay of 1968’s Democratic convention in Chicago, where a violent police crackdown created indelible scenes of chaos. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says he wants to assure people “it’s not 1968.”