Anti-Israel Protesters Interrupt Grant Park 165 NASCAR Race In Chicago
On Sunday afternoon, the Grant Park 165 NASCAR race held in Chicago, IL, faced an unexpected difficulty in the form of protesters.
Rain had threatened to delay the race all day, but when the event was set to start, rain had not started falling. That’s why everyone was confused when event organizers paused the race after all the engines had been started.
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 07: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 Valvoline Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Course on July 07, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
However, all doubts were quickly quelled when news broke that protesters had climbed the fence outside of Turn 3 and chained themselves to it.
According to Fox News, two protesters held a banner that read "Pritzker: We charge genocide" and "Bombs for Gaza, prisons for Illinois" while sitting on top of the fence (in reference to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker). Apparently, they believed he sends "state dollars to finance Israel’s genocidal campaign [in] Palestine."
The group that organized the protest also poked fun at driver Alon Day, an Israeli who had shown support for his home nation in the Israel-Hamas conflict who crashed in a practice lap on Saturday.
"Organizers also condemn the attempt made by Chicago city officials and NASCAR to manufacture consent for Israel’s mass death campaign by using the race as a staging ground for ‘proud Zionist’ driver Alon Day’s Israeli propaganda (although, it seems Day’s racing skills have made this attempt an uphill battle)," the statement read.
If you need any more evidence that these are low-class people, let this be it.