A bike ride organized to promote a boycott of several Jewish-owned restaurants drew opposition protesters to Philadelphia on Sunday, with people waving Palestinian and Israeli flags exchanging heated remarks.
NBC Philadelphia witnessed several verbal confrontations between the groups in the city’s Rittenhouse Square.
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.
At least one person was arrested among the crowd. The circumstances of this arrest were not immediately known.
Meanwhile, some of the restaurants targeted by the boycott were seeing long lines of customers supporting them.
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.
Half of the targeted establishments are owned by Philadelphia restaurant group CookNSolo, whose Israeli co-owners have publicly supported and raised funds for Israeli military efforts.
The restaurant group has already been the target of a local “Boycott CookNSolo” campaign that claims to protest restaurateurs for “materially and ideologically supporting the ongoing occupation and genocide of Palestinians.”
“We stand with the organizers of the Boycott Ride, a small group of anti-genocide cyclists who have been doxxed and vilified by social media Zionists and self-serving politicians,” Boycott CookNSolo wrote in an Instagram post over the weekend.
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, “Knocking down 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.
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. »
Before the bike ride, Gov. Josh Shapiro joined in the condemnations Friday.
“Hate and anti-Semitism have no place in our Commonwealth,” Shapiro wrote on X. “And I am grateful to the state and local law enforcement who will be working to keep our neighborhoods safe this weekend.”
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