Chicago police officer faces suspension for attending pro-Palestinian demonstration in uniform

An off-duty Chicago police officer who attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration in uniform last year faces a 10-day suspension for violating service regulations, according to a police report.

Raid Ghanimah, who has been on leave since early 2023, wore his black combat uniform and held up Palestinian and Blue Lives Matter flags during a downtown demonstration on October 18, 2023, according to the report.

Battle Dress Uniforms (BDUs) are used for special operations.

Ghanimah, who was hired as a Chicago police officer in 2000, is accused of covering his name and star number on his uniform with tape and failing to identify himself to a member of the Chicago Police Department when asked. The report says he violated several department regulations, including one related to political activities by officers.

According to police department regulations, an officer engaging in off-duty political activity may not “wear a uniform or any part of a uniform that identifies him as a Chicago police officer” or “impersonate a Chicago police officer.”

Ghanimah declined to comment on Monday.

Chicago Sun-Times photographer Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere posted a photo on X of Ghanimah wearing his uniform and holding the two flags during the Oct. 18 demonstration in the Loop. In that photo, Ghanimah’s name and star number were not covered with tape. However, LaRiviere later posted a photo on X in which you can apparently see tape covering Ghanimah’s star number.

Three days after that march, Ghanimah attended another political rally on Michigan Avenue in his uniform, according to witnesses.

Ghanimah remained active on social media, where he joined President Joe Biden in condemning Israel and its actions in the Gaza Strip.

According to Police Pension Board documents, Ghanimah is receiving a “standard disability pension” that pays half of his salary for an unspecified injury. According to the documents, he is applying for a “disability pension” that would pay 75 percent of his salary until he retires.

If he does not return to work, he will not be given the recommended suspension, a police department spokesman said.

Evidence collected against Ghanimah included videos from a body-worn camera, witness statements and social media posts, according to the police report filed last month.

In the past, officials have gotten into trouble because of political activities.

In 2017, two Chicago police officers were disciplined after they were photographed “taking a knee” in the lobby of a South Side police station in solidarity with NFL players who had done the same on the sidelines to protest racism. The officers were reprimanded and given “retraining on applicable rules of conduct while on duty and in uniform.”

In January, Chicago police officer Karol Chwiesiuk was sentenced to three months of house arrest in federal court for participating in the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He wore a Chicago police hoodie while inside the building for about 10 minutes, prosecutors said. Chwiesiuk was fired for “refusal to perform his duties,” according to a police spokesperson.