Participants assembled at the Philadelphia Museum of Art at noon before marching and riding toward the Liberty Bell. Organizers said the event was meant to make clear that antisemitism and hatred have no place in Philadelphia.

"I saw what was happening. There was chatter online and it triggered me," said Aryeh Shalom, a rider and march organizer. "Today, we are here in the spirit of peace, love and light."

The march followed a tense confrontation the prior Sunday in Rittenhouse Square, where a pro-Palestinian bike ride organized to boycott several Jewish-owned restaurants drew counter-protesters. Demonstrators waving Palestinian and Israeli flags faced off, leading to verbal confrontations and at least one physical altercation.

Philadelphia police said three people were arrested during that event: a woman accused of assault, a man accused of disorderly conduct and a 17-year-old accused of assaulting police. Two officers suffered minor injuries. Police estimated about 500 people gathered, including roughly 300 pro-Palestinian demonstrators and 200 pro-Israeli counter-protesters.

The original ride was organized by Philly Bike On Your Left, a group that describes itself as an "anti-fascist, anti-Zionist social cycling collective." Organizers said the boycott targeted businesses they described as "Zionist establishments." The action came on the eve of Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi pogrom in which Jewish businesses and synagogues were attacked.

The boycott drew condemnation from Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday and Jewish organizations, who criticized the targeting of Jewish-owned businesses. The group behind the bike ride later said its demonstration had been "grossly misrepresented" and stated that it opposed antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.

On Sunday, some pro-Palestinian supporters were present at the top of the Art Museum steps. A second bike ride had been planned for the same day, but organizers said they called it off due to safety concerns following last weekend's clashes and because some riders had received death threats.

"Palestinians, they have, they, they lost so much," said a man who identified himself as Al. "And for me being here to stand for them, and to show the world that there are criminals, Israeli criminals, out there."

The weekend's events underscored the heightened tensions in Philadelphia over the war in the Middle East and how those divisions are playing out in local neighborhoods and commercial corridors.