Rally in Michigan urges protest against Biden’s Israeli policies
Two days before Michigan’s Democratic primary, speakers at a rally on Sunday in Dearborn, Michigan, urged voters to withhold their support for President Biden over his policy on the war in Gaza — saying only Mr. Biden and the Democrats who support his policies Israel’s policies would be to blame if the protest vote helped former President Donald J. Trump win in November.
“You all know that Trump is an existential threat to our democracy,” said one of the speakers, Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, “and President Biden risks another Trump term because of his support for the far right, most extremist administration . government in the history of Israel.”
Ms. Tlaib is the only member of Michigan’s congressional delegation to support an effort to encourage Democrats to protest Mr. Biden’s position on the war in Gaza by declaring “uncommitted” during the state’s primaries on Tuesday to vote. That move, led by a group called Listen to Michigan, has set in motion a primary that Mr. Biden is expected to win easily but has also raised concerns that the president could lose the support he needs to swing state to win in the general elections in 2011. November.
It’s unclear how much support the push for “unfettered” voting has generated, even as Listen to Michigan has held rallies and visited mosques across the state since it began its efforts this month.
But Sunday’s event, which was organized by a group known as the Michigan Task Force for Palestine and drew more than 200 people to an indoor event space in Dearborn, was intended in part to show that support for the effort extends further than that of Michigan. large Arab-American community. Other speakers at the meeting included the black pastor of a Baptist church in Detroit; a lawyer affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace, a group of progressive activists; and leaders of a local chapter of the United Automobile Workers, which Mr. Biden has also endorsed supported a ceasefire.
“This is not an Arab issue for President Biden,” said Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, a Democrat who spoke at the meeting and supports the “unoccupied” efforts. “It is not a Muslim issue. He has a humanitarian issue on his hands.”
Mr. Biden’s allies — including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Democrat of Michigan, who is co-chairing his re-election campaign — have argued that any vote not cast in support of the president helps Mr. Trump, the dominant front-runner. for the Republican nomination. They have highlighted Mr Trump’s past anti-Muslim statements, particularly his calls to reimpose a travel ban.
Ms. Whitmer said on CNN on Sunday that she understood “the pain” many Arab Americans were feeling, but added that “every vote not cast for Joe Biden supports a second Trump term.” She pointed to the fact that Trump barred people from some countries with predominantly Muslim populations from entering the United States when he was president.
Several speakers on Sunday rejected such arguments, saying that while they did not want Trump to be re-elected, they were determined to push Biden to address their concerns about the conflict in the Middle East.
“No, I don’t want Trump to win, but I don’t see any other way unless Biden acts,” said Assemblywoman Gabriela Santiago-Romero, a Democrat who added that she was “tired of being asked to vote out of fear.” .”
“We need to strike fear in the hearts of Democrats,” she said.
Ammar Moussa, a spokesman for the Biden campaign, said in a statement that Mr. Biden “knows how important it is to earn the trust of every community” and that the president “worked closely and proudly with leaders in the Muslim, Arabic -American and Palestinian territories.” communities.” He added that Mr. Biden had “urged Israel to do everything possible to prevent civilian casualties” and allow humanitarian aid to Gaza.
In addition to Listen to Michigan, Mr. Biden faces opposition from a campaign called Abandon Biden, whose supporters in several states, including Michigan, have vowed not to vote for the president in November anyway, citing the high death toll in Gaza. .
On Sunday, Ms. Tlaib criticized her colleagues in Congress who voted to send military aid to Israel. “I have a message for many of them now: Michigan says brave no more,” she said.
And when she called on the people in the room on Tuesday to “come,” someone shouted back, “We’re here!”
Maggie Astor reporting contributed.