Tensions flared Sunday in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square as protesters clashed amid a contentious bike ride organized to boycott several Jewish-owned restaurants.
NBC10 was on scene as protesters waving Palestinian and Israeli flags stood next to each other, with several verbal confrontations breaking out between the opposing groups.
A line of Philadelphia police officers worked to keep the groups separated as tensions continued to rise even before the bike ride began.
At least one physical altercation occurred, with NBC10 seeing police pull one protester away from another. It is unclear if anyone has been arrested in connection with this incident.
However, at least one person was arrested among the crowd. The circumstances of this arrest were not immediately known.
Police arrested one person Sunday amid protests in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square during a bike ride organized to boycott Jewish-owned restaurants.
Meanwhile, some of the restaurants targeted by the boycott were seeing long lines of customers supporting them.
A long line of customers formed outside Mac Mart in Philadelphia on Sunday to support the restaurant, one of six businesses targeted by a controversial bicycle boycott.
Why is the bicycle boycott taking place?
The protest was organized by Philly Bike On Your Left, a group that describes itself as an “anti-fascist, anti-Zionist social cycling collective.”
On October 31, the group announced its intention to boycott what it calls “Zionist establishments” in Rittenhouse Square, in solidarity with the Palestinian community.
Restaurants targeted by the boycott include Mac Mart, K’Far Café, Huda, Goldie, Schlesinger’s and Dizengoff.
The planned event has drawn widespread criticism, including from Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, who condemned the boycott on social media.
The Anti-Defamation League also encouraged people to show their support by dining at targeted restaurants and other Jewish-owned businesses.
“This protest is an attempt to intimidate a Jewish community that has faced generations of violence, exclusion and anti-Semitism. It is the latest in a series of incidents that hold Jewish businesses responsible for events in the Middle East,” the ADL wrote. “It’s anti-Semitic, plain and simple. But we refuse to let hatred win.”
Billboards call on Philadelphians to ‘boycott the boycott’
In response to the planned race, the nonprofit JewBelong installed billboards in 14 locations across Philadelphia, urging people to support Jewish-owned businesses.
The billboards read, “crushing Jewish businesses is not a peace plan” and encouraged residents to “boycott the boycott.”
The protest also falls on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, or “Night of Broken Glass,” when Nazi-organized anti-Semitic attacks targeted Jewish communities in Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland on November 9 and 10, 1938.
A pro-Palestinian group’s planned boycott of Jewish restaurants in Philadelphia has drawn backlash and condemnation from city leaders as well as community support for affected businesses. NBC10’s Kelsey Kushner has the details.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Philly Bike On Your Left said the ride was “grossly misrepresented.”
“We strongly oppose racism and oppression in all its forms, including fascism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and colonialism.”
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