The National Lawyers Guild and Chicago

By Gary Fouse

The Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) has condemned what it calls excessive force by the Chicago Police Department for their actions yesterday against protesters at the DNC convention.

We all saw the images of how pro-Palestinian protesters breached the outer security fence and were pushed back, or in some cases, arrested by police. In addition to breaching the security fence, rocks, sticks, and other objects were thrown at police.

Many of you may not be aware of who the National Lawyers Guild is. It is an organization founded in 1937, basically as a legal arm of the Communist Party USA. They championed many liberal causes (some positive, such as ending segregation in the military), but over the years, they have championed almost every far-left extremist cause you can imagine.

One of their principal causes today is the Israeli-Palestinian issue, and not surprisingly, they are 100% on the Palestinian side, even after the horrors of the Hamas terrorist attack of last October 7. They routinely send their people to pro-Palestinian events in cities and on campuses wearing distinctive lime green baseball caps, with the words, “National Lawyers Guild-“Legal observer“, written on the front. Their purpose is to document any improper actions by police or pro-Israel counter-protesters and offer legal assistance (to the pro-Palestinians).

I have witnessed many Israeli-Palestinian-themed events at the University of California at Irvine during the time I was teaching there (1998-2016) and beyond. In UC Irvine’s case, I have personally witnessed and spoken to these NLG people who identified themselves as also being affiliated with the UC Irvine Law School. (Indeed, the Guild has had a documented affiliation with the UC Irvine Law School, as well as many others.) I also have attended a pro-Palestinian speech by NLG Los Angeles chapter president, James Lafferty at UC Irvine.

If you look closely at photos and videos of Mondays’ protest in Chicago, you can pick out the ones in the lime green caps. You can also find their presence at countless other anti-Israel events.

Now they have inserted themselves into the Chicago protests. In reading their words, one should consider the history of their organization and compare their statements to the videos we witnessed of how the police handled the situation on Monday. In other words, the National Lawyers Guild has an agenda.