Two pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at NASCAR race

Two people who allegedly chained themselves to a fence during Sunday’s NASCAR race in Grant Park were taken into custody, according to protesters and Chicago police.

At around 3:30 p.m., two people ran onto the track and chained themselves to the top of the fence, holding signs that read “Pritzker: We are charging genocide” and “Bombs for Gaza, Prisons for Illinois.” These signs referred to Israel’s ongoing bombing of Gaza in the Israel-Hamas war and Governor JB Pritzker’s $900 million plan to demolish and rebuild two state prisons.

They were arrested 40 minutes later on charges of trespassing, according to Chicago police. Social media posts from the group that claimed responsibility for the demonstration said the protesters were released early Monday morning.

In a press release sent to the media on Sunday, the group called on President Joe Biden to declare a permanent ceasefire and cut off all aid to Israel. They also spoke out against Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has worked to “suppress dissent” in the run-up to the Democratic National Convention.

Sunday marked nine months since Hamas’s attack on Israel that led to the war in the Gaza Strip.

“Pritzker’s policies in Illinois mirror the same policies of mass death and incarceration of Presidents Biden and Trump,” the statement said. “Chicagoans will not allow our city to operate as normal while you invest in mass incarceration and genocide of our people. Pritzker and Johnson are not fit to host major events in Chicago, including the Democratic National Convention, because the population will not allow them.”