A small group of protesters broke through a metal security fence outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday and engaged in a short confrontation with police after entering a no man’s land area behind another layer of fencing surrounding the United Center. Several demonstrators were detained.

The breach occurred in the late afternoon as thousands of activists protesting the Biden-Harris administration’s policy on the Israel-Hamas war ended their march at a park a block away from the United Center’s main entrance.

The incident was a rare moment of conflict during a day of impassioned but mostly peaceful protest on the first day of the Democratic National Convention.

Before the televised program began and Democratic speakers took the stage, a faction of protesters wearing masks and balaclavas broke away from the main group and breached the security perimeter fence.

“Whose streets?” they chanted. “Our streets!”

Police officers, some wearing riot helmets and carrying batons, swiftly marched into the area. As protesters linked arms, some hurled wooden signs at police as officers pushed the crowd back outside the fence and started to detain some protesters.

“Law enforcement personnel were immediately on-scene and contained the situation,” the DNC Public Safety Joint Information Center said in a statement. “At no point was the inner perimeter breached, and there was no threat to any protectees.”

The incursion appeared to be under control by 6 p.m. After police pushed protesters back outside, Chicago police hammered the fence back in place.

Several demonstrators were detained, but authorities did not immediately provide arrest information.

Just outside the security barrier by a park along Washington Boulevard, police detained one woman with her hands behind her back.

“Mom!” A child yelled from the other side of the fence. “Are you OK?”

Dozens of police in riot gear, carrying plastic shields, milled about in the street just outside the park.

Several splintered sticks and signs saying, “From Chicago to Palestine, occupation is a crime!” littered the ground near the barricade. An “Asian Americans for a liberated Palestine” flag was left draped over a metal pole.

Pinho reported from Chicago and Jarvie from Atlanta.

Former President Trump’s campaign launched a counter-programming effort in Chicago, Illinois with two big-name surrogates who hammered Vice President Kamala Harris on inflation and the economy as the Democratic National Convention gets underway in the city. 

“You can tell right now by what very few proposals that Kamala Harris has put on the table,” began Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., “She doesn’t have a clue.”

Johnson and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., stood in front of several charts that demonstrated rising prices on food and necessities at the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago on Monday. 

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Both men highlighted their own experience running businesses in the private sector, also pointing to Trump’s history of doing so. “Donald Trump is a business guy who understands how businesses work,” said Scott. “Harris has no earthly idea how businesses work. Her vice president pick has no idea how businesses work.”

The senators slammed the current state of the economy, specifically hitting Harris and President Biden and their administration for facilitating inflation increases. 

Last week, Harris’ campaign announced a sweeping economic platform, which included a crackdown on corporate “price gouging” in the food industry. Harris revealed she plans to implement the first-ever federal ban on the practice. 

She would also drastically expand the child tax credit, allowing up to $6,000 during a child’s first year. Under a Harris presidency, she also said she would extend prescription drug price caps to everyone, rather than just senior citizens. 

Further, her plan included the establishment of a $40 billion fund for assistance to local governments to build more housing, as well as taking on landlords.

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Harris recently rolled out her economic plan. (Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“Her idea of having basically price controls—It’s never worked anywhere. This is pure socialism,” said Scott. “I want a free market. I want a bottom-up economy. I want capitalism. That’s what Trump stands for.”

Johnson blasted Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., for their misconceptions of how businesses operate in the private sector. “It’s very hard to run a successful business,” he said. 

According to Johnson, governmental leaders should have both an understanding of what it takes to run a business, as well as a sympathy for Americans creating and running businesses.

“That’s why there’s such a stark contrast in terms of the vision that President Trump has for this country versus Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” he said. 

“Under Harris, here’s what’s going to happen: We’re going to see more inflation with her price control idea. We’re going to see a lot of shortages,” said Scott in an interview with Fox News Digital.  

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Trump will be touring battleground states during the DNC.  (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

The Trump campaign previewed their intention to sap attention away from the DNC and provide their argument against Harris while she gets officially recognized as the Democratic nominee. “While we’re here at the DNC each day, president Trump and Senator Vance are doing battleground states,” said Trump campaign Senior Communication Advisor Brian Hughes.

He revealed the campaign will be hosting daily press conferences at the Trump hotel with various campaign surrogates, in part to demonstrate the contrast with Harris, whose campaign has made her nearly inaccessible to all media. 

“We’re not hearing a lot from Kamala Harris about these policies that she’s talking about,” Hughes pointed out. 

Johnson further told “the mainstream media, the legacy media, the corporate media, you better start asking questions because the American public deserve answers from Vice President Kamala Harris.”

In an interview with Fox News Digital, he predicted Harris will not hold any press conferences ahead of election day if she can get away with doing so. “The American people need to demand it. You’re running for the highest office in the land,” Johnson said. 

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Signage at the United Center ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024.  (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“It’s the bare minimum,” he added. “She didn’t go through a primary. She wasn’t vetted by the American people through that democratic process. She’s just been crowned the nominee, and now the mainstream media are going to just give her a free pass.”

“That’d be a travesty,” the Wisconsin Republican said. 

The two Republican senators further remarked on the noticeable absences of vulnerable Democratic senators from the DNC. “They know she’s toxic,” Scott told Fox News Digital of Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.

He claimed the senators are aware it would not help their campaign efforts to be pictured besides Harris. 

“If you look at the ads they’re running, those senators act like they were their best friends with Donald Trump. Because they know that Harris’ ideas are horrible for their state and for their families,” the Florida senator said. 

Johnson agreed, explaining the Democrats don’t want to be associated with Harris’ controversial policies. However, he said, “we can guarantee you that if they’re re-elected and Harris becomes president, they will vote with her virtually 100% of the time.”

The Harris campaign did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.

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