Dec 7

Dec 7 Christmas Carols

Chicago, Chicago Tourism, Demonstrations, Donald J. Trump, Festivals, Musicians, Performance, Protest, Public Declarations

At 3:00 PM today, 15 carolers gathered on the sidewalk adjacent to the Eternal Flame Memorial located in Daley Plaza. Holding a red banner that proclaimed, “God Loves Palestine,” the carolers sang what might best be described as fractured Christmas carols. The melodies were familiar, but the lyrics had been modified to highlight the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza. For example. the lyrics for the Christmas Song had been altered:

Soldiers laughing as the open fire, As you go shopping for new clothes. Pretentious clichés being sung by a choir To folks who can’t be bothered to know.

Yet they their freedom runs on genocide. It’s the price of keeping Christmas bright.

Those Christkindlmarket holiday shoppers who even noticed the carolers momentarily looked on with puzzled curiosity, but then went back to shopping and eating. Most, however, didn’t even notice the singers as the festival goers enjoyed food and the retail opportunities.

In addition to the carolers, two Chicago police officers stood off to the side. The demonstrators apparently didn’t require a brigade of bicycle cops.

While some passersby may have disagreed with the sentiment, no one could argue about the quality of the voices. The carolers could have easily performed during mid-night mass at Holy Name Cathedral, but only if the lyrics reverted to the traditional ones.

As the carolers sang, a man who is best described as an asshole, stood among them, dressed in a Santa hat and an American flag. The letter “B” was attached to his red shirt. He claimed to be ‘Bacon Man,’ a designation consistent with his anti-Muslim catcalls.

To the carolers’ credit, they treated him as if he were invisible. I didn’t see one person take the bait. Obviously, I didn’t ask each caroler his or her religious affiliation, but I don’t think there were any heritage Palestinians in the group. The singers were most likely Christians.

I watched the two police officers watching ‘Bacon Man.’ I suspect had he touched anyone or otherwise given the officers an excuse, they would have detained him.

Overall, this demonstration was pretty tepid. I lingered for no more than 30 minutes. According to one website, the carolers will return next weekend.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]