Pelosi defends exclusion of Palestinian origin speaker amid free speech concerns
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addresses reporters during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., July 29, 2022. (Reuters Photo)
Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended the decision not to include a Palestinian-American speaker at the Democratic Party’s convention in Chicago.
According to U.S. media reports, Pelosi, a prominent Democratic figure, responded to a journalist’s question about the exclusion by stating, “We don’t have speakers from every nationality in our country at the convention.”
At the same convention, however, American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s family was allowed to speak on the main stage.
Delegates from the “uncommitted” movement within the Democratic National Committee (DNC) argued that the party should have included a Palestinian-American speaker to address ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza.
Following the decision, members of the “uncommitted” movement staged a sit-in outside the United Center, where the convention was held, aiming to pressure the convention to reconsider its decision.
The movement, active in various states, has urged Democratic voters to mark the “uncommitted” option on primary ballots as a way to express their disapproval of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s Gaza policy. Reports indicate that around 800,000 voters nationwide have selected the “uncommitted” option.
