House Democrats attending this week’s DNC in Chicago, which runs from 19-22 August, have been told to avoid booking hotel rooms in their own name or to engage with protesters who confront them.
Guidance issued by the office of the House sergeant-at-arms provides practical advice on avoiding confrontation, and a briefing on convention security was held last week, as part of which attendees were given a “thorough” security plan.
According to Axios, “Democrat lawmakers are fearful about their safety” as a result of long-running protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.
One Democrat told Axios that law enforcement is warning members “not to go to a certain area because they expect violence.”
“The protesters aren’t staying in a designated protest site… and there are people who are going to go and really try to cause trouble,” the Democrat predicted.
There are also reports that demonstrators have been phoning hotels to try and find out if politicians are staying at them.
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators are expected to converge on Chicago for the convention, with serious unrest expected. The city has brought in new courtroom procedures to allow faster processing of arrestees in the event of mass arrests.