Dozens of protesters have been detained in Philadelphia as thousands rally against Hillary Clinton’s official nomination. Protesters have also staged a sit-in to block delegates from entering the Wells Fargo Center, where the Democratic National Convention is being held.
Fifty-five people have been issued citations for disorderly conduct for trying to climb over police barricades at the edge of the security zone surrounding the convention, law enforcements said, according to AP.
Protests have descended on City Hall and FDR Park, which are downtown right behind the Democratic Convention security zone.
Local police have been bracing for the up to 50,000 protesters that are expected daily.
Temperatures rising into the mid-90s have not kept away the crowd, which has grown to become one the largest rallies planned for the first day of the Democratic National Convention. However, the attendees have largely been Sanders supporters, with few Clinton fans in sight.
Protesters have been chanting “Hell no DNC, we won’t vote for Hillary” as anti-Clinton banners flood the streets outside the Wells Fargo Center.
Democrats had to burst through a crowd of Sander supporters chanting “Bernie or Bust!” along with other slogans to enter the Wells Fargo Center.
Demonstrators outside City Hall chanted, “Nominate Sanders or lose in November!”
Some of the banners read “Hillary for Prison,” while others had pictures of Republican nominee Donald Trump and Clinton united under the slogan “Either Way, Wall Street Wins.”
However, as tensions at the protest ran high, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders urged his supporters to stop chanting, “Lock her up,” a chant that originated among Trump supporters who want Hillary Clinton to face prison time for alleged crimes.
“Make no mistake. We have made history,” Sanders reportedly told the crowd, stressing that the Democratic Party itself would lose without Clinton’s victory.
The crowd, which is a mix of Sanders supporters, opponents of the US drug war, and other activists, joined in a chant of “Feel the Bern!”
Among the banners setting the tone for the march, were two 51-foot inflatable joints sending a pro-cannabis message to the delegates in town.
One of the inflatable rolled marijuana cigarettes read, “Legalize. Berned by the DNC,” while another demanded, “Legalize Cannabis Now.”