A bicycle “boycott ride” targeting several Jewish-owned businesses in Philadelphia got underway Sunday amid a large police presence and crowds of counterprotesters lining both sides of the street for blocks.
The demonstration, widely condemned by state and local leaders, has drawn what appear to be hundreds of counterprotesters and sparked some verbal confrontations.
Officials condemn planned Philadelphia boycott of Jewish-owned businesses as antisemitic
The protest fell the day before the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht and was organized by Philly Bike On Your Left, a group that describes itself as “anti-Zionist” and says it targeted the businesses because of their owners’ support for Israel.
“Ride around Rittenhouse with us as we show these zionist business owners that we see them for the disgusting humans they are,” the group said in its original October 30 Instagram post announcing the ride.
As the cyclists began their ride Sunday, counterprotesters waved Israeli flags and held signs condemning antisemitism.
The businesses are scattered around the neighborhood, some separated by several blocks.
Ahead of the protest, the nonprofit JewBelong put up more than a dozen billboards across the Philadelphia area, including one that read “Running over Jewish businesses isn’t a peace plan,” according to CNN affiliate WPVI.
The office of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said the ride was “designed to intimidate and drive Jewish businesses out of our communities.” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said that while everyone has the right to protest peacefully, “singling out businesses because their owners are Jewish is unacceptable and has no place in our city.”
The condemnations come amid what officials describe as a sustained rise in antisemitism since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the war in Gaza that followed.
Antisemitic incidents in the US remain far above pre-2023 levels, after hitting a record in 2024, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Philadelphia recorded 106 antisemitic incidents in 2025, according to the group’s Philadelphia branch.
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Philly Bike On Your Left has rejected the criticism, saying it was “grossly misrepresented” and is “firmly against racism and oppression of all forms, including fascism, antisemitism, islamophobia, and colonialism.”
“Let us be clear: the reason we are calling for a boycott of these businesses is because of their support for Israel,” it said in a statement to CNN and posted on its Instagram Saturday.
Others say the condemnations are an attempt to silence dissent. The Philadelphia Democratic Socialists of America said politicians including Shapiro and Parker had “joined a chorus of bad-faith and dangerous conflation of antisemitism with anti-Zionism.”
“Jewish businesses and shops belong in Philadelphia,” the group’s statement said. “Challenges to the violence of Zionist ideology do not dull this commitment to Jewish safety and belonging.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
