Kamala Harris vows to fight tyranny and end Gaza war

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Vice-President Kamala Harris has formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president with a rousing call to end the war in Gaza and fight tyranny around the world, drawing a sharp contrast with Republican Donald Trump.

Kamala Harris at the convention                   Pic: X

“In the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand and I know where the United States belongs,” Harris said, accusing Trump of bowing down to dictators.

On the final, and most anticipated, night of the four-day Chicago convention, Harris, 59, promised to chart a “new way forward” as she and Trump, 78, enter the final 11 weeks of the razor-close campaign.

Harris emerged as the Democratic candidate little more than a month ago when allies of President Joe Biden, 81, forced him to quit the race.

It was a forceful speech for a candidate who, during her brief campaign, had yet to articulate much of her vision for the country and faced a stream of personal attacks from Trump, who mocked her Black and South Asian heritage and called her weak on the foreign stage.

After days of protests from Palestinian supporters who were disappointed at not getting a speaking spot at the convention, Harris delivered a pledge to secure Israel, bring the hostages home from Gaza and end the war in the Palestinian enclave.

“What has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost, desperate hungry people fleeing for safety over and over again,” she said.

“The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.”

Before the speech, thousands of Palestinian supporters once again gathered to protest US support for Israel as it wages war in Gaza.

The issue is one of the most divisive among Democrats and got little attention at the convention, which could hurt Democrats at the polls.

Nationwide, she leads Trump 46.6 per cent to 43.8 per cent, according to a compilation of polls by FiveThirtyEight.

Reuters