PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Hundreds of people crowded the streets near Rittenhouse Square, mostly in opposition to a heavily criticized bike ride protest boycotting Jewish-owned businesses there.
Police used their bikes as barricades and sounded their sirens to control the crowds Sunday, as protesters and counter-protesters stood face-to-face. Things became violent at times, and one man was arrested when a group of counter-protesters overcame a crowd of boycotters.
The “Boycott Ride” was organized by the group “Philly Bike on Your Left,” targeting six restaurants in Rittenhouse Square they accused of having “Zionist business owners”: Mac Mart, K’Far Cafe, Huda, Goldie, Dizengoff and Schlesinger’s Deli.
The protest garnered intense blowback from Philadelphia and state officials when it was announced, calling the boycott antisemitic.
One counter-protester, Emily, was there to oppose the Boycott Ride, and brought her husband and two babies.
“It’s so disturbing that they’re doing this ride at all, and on eve of Kristallnacht,” Emily said.
She said the timing of the boycott was too close for comfort to the anniversary of the antisemitic riot orchestrated by the Nazis in Germany on November 9, 1938, during which Jewish businesses and synagogues were attacked and destroyed.
Another woman, Shana, was there to support the boycott.
“I am a Jewish Pennsylvanian coming today to show solidarity against illegal occupation and to meet people to have these conversations,” she said.
“Philly Bike on Your Left” insists that its intentions are being misrepresented and that the timing of the protest on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht is coincidental and based on its members’ schedules. They say their real gripe is with Israel and its violence against Palestinians.
Another counter-protester, Martin Edelman, wasn’t convinced.
“I don’t believe that this is coincidental,” he said. “The Nazis used to do this. They planned every action for the eve of a Jewish holiday.”
The controversial “Boycott Ride” has received intense criticism from city and state leaders
The controversial “Boycott Ride” has received intense criticism from city and state leaders
