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Philadelphia Police Arrest 3 as Rittenhouse Square Bike Boycott Draws Hundreds
A planned bike ride boycotting six Jewish-owned restaurants in Rittenhouse Square drew about 500 people Sunday, including 200 pro-Israeli counter-protesters, and ended with three arrests and two minor police injuries. City leaders and Jewish organizations had condemned the event, while supporters lined up outside the targeted businesses.
PHILADELPHIA â Three people were arrested and two police officers suffered minor injuries Sunday when a planned bike ride boycotting six Jewish-owned restaurants in Rittenhouse Square drew hundreds of demonstrators and counter-protesters, according to Philadelphia police.
The department said about 500 people gathered in the square, including roughly 300 pro-Palestinian demonstrators â about 200 of them on bicycles â and 200 pro-Israeli counter-protesters. Officers formed a line to keep the two groups apart as verbal confrontations broke out before the ride had even begun.
Police said a woman was arrested for assault, a man for disorderly conduct and a 17-year-old boy for assaulting police. Two officers were hurt with minor injuries while one of the arrests was being made. Officers remained in the area until about 3 p.m., and no damage was reported to surrounding properties.
The event was organized by Philly Bike On Your Left, a group that describes itself as an "anti-fascist, anti-Zionist social cycling collective." On Oct. 31, the group announced plans to boycott what it called "Zionist establishments" in Rittenhouse Square in solidarity with the Palestinian community. The restaurants named in the boycott were Mac Mart, K'Far Café, Huda, Goldie, Schlesinger's and Dizengoff.
The planned ride drew widespread criticism, including from Mayor Cherelle Parker and Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, who condemned the boycott on social media. The Anti-Defamation League encouraged people to support the targeted restaurants and other Jewish-owned businesses, writing that the protest was "an attempt to intimidate a Jewish community that has faced generations of violence, exclusion and antisemitism."
In response, the nonprofit JewBelong installed billboards at 14 locations across Philadelphia urging residents to support Jewish-owned businesses. The billboards read, "Running over Jewish businesses isn't a peace plan," and encouraged people to "boycott the boycott ride."
The demonstration fell on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Nazi-organized attacks on Jewish communities in Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland on Nov. 9 and 10, 1938. B'nai B'rith International CEO and President Daniel S. Mariaschin said in a statement that the ride singled out Jewish-owned businesses and that "the persecution that led there began with boycotts and the singling out of Jewish businesses." The Israeli-American Council also issued a statement saying the ride's goal was to drive businesses owned by Zionists out of the city.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Philly Bike On Your Left said the ride had been "grossly misrepresented" and that the group stands "firmly against racism and oppression of all forms, including fascism, antisemitism, islamophobia and colonialism."
Meanwhile, some of the targeted restaurants saw long lines of customers showing support. A line formed outside Mac Mart on Sunday as residents turned out to back the businesses named in the boycott.