The Philadelphia Free Palestine Coalition, which organized Sunday’s protest in downtown Philadelphia, is rebuking labels of antisemitism from Governor Josh Shapiro and White House staff, among other elected officials.
Governor Shapiro said in a Facebook post Sunday evening that “Tonight in Philly, we saw a blatant act of antisemitism — not a peaceful protest”, in reference to the Coalition’s activities.
The Philadelphia Police Department confirmed that the protest did not cause any property damage or lead to any arrests, Patch said. A video of the rally can be found here.
Leaders of the pro-Palestine group said that “the displacement of Black and Brown people in Philadelphia stems from the same violent institutions that are perpetrating the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.”
Other Muslim advocacy groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have tracked an uptick in Islamophobic threats and incidents. Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims across the country have expressed fears about hate crimes and rising bigotry, NBC reported.
Executive Director Ahmet Tekelioglu of the CAIR Philadelphia issued a press release on October 12 in response to Shapiro’s initial comments on the conflict. An excerpt:
Governor Shapiro deliberately chose to ignore the humanity of Palestinians who are once again being ignored by the international community. Our community expected better from someone who has spent time at our events and in our community centers. There are leaders he personally knows who have lost family members to airstrikes in Gaza. His silence on Palestinian civilians sends a strong message.
Along its route, the protest visited Goldie Falafel, a Jewish restaurant in Philadelphia owned by renowned chef Michael Solomonov. The Coalition’s decision to protest the location drew attention from multiple national news outlets.
Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., who represents Philadelphia, said on X that “targeting businesses simply because they’re Jewish owned is despicable.” He added, “Philadelphia stands against this sort of harassment and hate.”
“It is Antisemitic and completely unjustifiable to target restaurants that serve Israeli food over disagreements with Israeli policy,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Monday.
The Coalition sees the situation differently.
“Shockingly, whole sectors of western society not only remain silent in the face of genocide, but are actually cheering it on and financially supporting it,” a representative of the Coalition told Patch. “Michael Solomonov is one such person. He has made a handsome living passing off Palestinian and other Arab cuisine as ‘Israeli food’, the proceeds of which are now supporting the very army that is enacting Israel’s genocidal bombing of Palestinians.”
On December 1, the Coalition posted the following to Facebook in response to the conflict’s temporary ceasefire:
Join us this Sunday for one of the biggest demonstrations in Philly as we flood the streets to stand with Gaza and Palestine
A temporary pause is not what we asked for, we demand a complete end to the siege on Gaza and an end to the U.S complicity with Israel. Meet us at Rittenhouse Square Park at 4:30 and march will start at 5pm
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Photo: The Philadelphia Free Palestine Coalition, Commonwealth Media Services