A small group of protesters briefly disrupted the Maine Democratic State Convention Friday night with calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Some walked out. Others stayed and chanted during a video promoting the accomplishments of U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, the Democrat representing the 2nd District. Golden had been scheduled to speak at the convention, but organizers said a family conflict kept him from attending in person.
Protesters chanted “free, free Palestine,” “Jared Golden is a war criminal,” “stop the genocide” and “ceasefire now.”
Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, who was serving as convention chairman, tried to quiet the crowd.
“I believe in the ability of people to demonstrate and protest,” he said amid the shouts. “There is a time for that.”
The vast majority of the 950 delegates stayed in their seats and watched the video as at least one protester blew a whistle and several others continued to shout.
After the video concluded, about half the audience stood to clap for Golden.
The protest showed a continued divide in the Democratic Party over the war that started in October when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing more than 1,100. Israel’s sustained invasion of Gaza, which has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 Palestinians, has led some Democrats to call for an immediate cease-fire.
Golden told Maine Public on May 13 that he does “not believe it is factually accurate to say that war crimes are being committed in Palestine at this time.”
At the convention, the outburst from the group, some of whom were delegates and others of whom were guests, came on the first night of the gathering in Bangor.
Party chairwoman Bev Uhlenhake said she welcomed the protest.
“One of the wonderful things about being a Democrat is knowing that we can all be in the same tent,” she said, drawing applause. “We’re thrilled to have voices of dissent. It’s part of what happens in a good democracy. I’m not disappointed at all by the protest that’s happening tonight.”
In introducing the Golden video, Uhlenhake said the party continues to hold its convention in the 2nd Congressional District to show how important it is to the party and to control of Congress.
Golden will face a Republican challenger in November. State Reps. Mike Soboleski and Austin Theriault are competing on June 11 in the GOP primary for the right to face Golden.
Democrats are also offering a challenger to independent U.S. Sen. Angus King, who officially announced this week that he is seeking a third term.
David Costello of Brunswick told the convention that he wants to reform government, including abolishing the Electoral College and imposing term limits on lawmakers and Supreme Court justices.
“The next thing would be to restructure the U.S. House and Senate so that their allocation of power and policy decisions are more in line with the interests of the American people and not primarily the interests of the powerful few,” he said.
In addition to King and Costello, Republican Demi Kouzounas and independent Jason Cherry will be on the November ballot to compete for the Senate seat.
During her address to the convention, Uhlenhake urged fellow Democrats to talk to their neighbors to win over more voters. She urged them to fight and not take anything for granted.
“You often hear me talking about Democratic values,” she said. “It’s so important that we recognize that that’s what brings us together.”
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