Philadelphia protest targeting Jewish-owned businesses condemned by leaders – USA Today

Philadelphia protest targeting Jewish-owned businesses condemned by leaders  USA Today

A pro-Palestinian protest in Philadelphia on Nov. 8 has been condemned by local and state leaders as organizers have vowed to target a half-dozen businesses. Philly Bike On Your Left, a pro-Palestinian social cycling group, announced the event in a late October Instagram post, saying what they called certain "Zionist establishments" in the city "must go." Organizers and supporters have called it an exercise of First Amendment rights and an effort to highlight ongoing death and destruction in the West Bank and Gaza. But critics – including area officials, as well as Jewish advocacy groups – have characterized it as an effort rooted in antisemitism. "Everyone has the right to peacefully protest and express their political views," Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a Nov.

5 statement. "But singling out businesses because their owners are Jewish is unacceptable and has no place in our city." Critics have also pointed out that the event falls on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, when Nazis attacked and arrested Jews, as well as burned and vandalized Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues in 1938. The bike boycott's defenders, however, have rejected the comparison and called the timing coincidental. A day before the protest, Philly Bike On Your Left said it would be a non-violent ride to exercise the "First Amendment right to speak