Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro condemned a pro-Palestinian protest outside of a Jewish-owned restaurant in Center City Philadelphia, describing the rally as a “blatant act of antisemitism.”
Police said 400 to 500 people gathered at Rittenhouse Square around 4 p.m. Sunday for the "Flood Philly for Gaza Protest." The protesters marched along Walnut Street towards 40th Street and then Market where they joined another rally, police said.
The Philly Palestine Coalition also held a rally and march in Center City around 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
The protesters demanded a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War.
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“A temporary pause is not what we asked for, we demand a complete end to the siege on Gaza and an end to the U.S complicity with Israel,” organizers of the Philly Palestine Coalition protest wrote.
During the march, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Goldie, a Jewish-owned restaurant on 19th and Sansom streets. The popular restaurant is owned by Philly chef and restaurateur Michael Solomonov. Solomonov also owns the restaurant Zahav in Society Hill, which serves traditional Israeli flavors and cuisine.
Over the past few weeks, pro-Palestinian groups have called for boycotts of businesses owned by Solomonov's CookNSolo Restaurant group, which has collected donations for Israeli humanitarian relief efforts amid the Israel-Hamas war. CookNSolo's co-owner Steve Cook is also Jewish.
Politics
In a video obtained by NBC10, protesters outside Goldie can be heard chanting, “Goldie, Goldie, you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide.”
“They advertise their food as Israeli. They serve falafel, hummus, you name it, as Israeli food," one of the protesters says in the video. "It’s not enough for them to steal our land. It’s not enough for them to kill our people. They’re stealing our ethnic food as well. Shame on them! Shame!"
Gov. Shapiro posted part of the video on X, formerly known as Twitter, and condemned the protest.
“Tonight in Philly, we saw a blatant act of antisemitism — not a peaceful protest,” Shapiro wrote. “A restaurant was targeted and mobbed because its owner is Jewish and Israeli. This hate and bigotry is reminiscent of a dark time in history.”
Shapiro -- a first-term Democrat who is Jewish -- also said he’s spoken with Solomonov and pledged his support.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D- Pa., also condemned the protest.
"They could be protesting Hamas. They could be protesting Hamas' systematic rape of Israeli women and girls or demanding the remaining hostages be immediately released," Fetterman posted on X. "Instead, they targeted a Jewish restaurant. It's pathetic and rank antisemitism."
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates spoke out against the protest as well.
“It is Antisemitic and completely unjustifiable to target restaurants that serve Israeli food over disagreements with Israeli policy, as Governor Shapiro has underlined," Bates wrote. "This behavior reveals the kind of cruel and senseless double standard that is a calling card of Antisemitism. President Biden has fought against the evil of Antisemitism his entire life, including by launching the first national strategy to counter this hate in American history. He will always stand up firmly against these kinds of undignified actions.”
A spokesperson for Goldie's parent company CookNSolo thanked NBC10 for reaching out and "graciously" declined to comment.
Leaders of the Philly Palestine Coalition denied allegations that their protest was antisemitic and said they would continue to hold rallies throughout the city.
Monday afternoon, police said vandals also targeted several businesses Sunday, including a TD Bank on the 3700 block of Walnut Street, a Starbucks on the 3400 block of Walnut Street and a police vehicle on 18th and Walnut streets.
Makom Community, a Jewish afterschool located on 20th and Sansom streets, was also targeted by vandals. The owners of Makom said vandals spray-painted the message "Free Palestine" on the front window of the building. The owners later covered it up with a message that read "We all deserve Peace & Safety! Happy Chanukah! Let your light shine!"
Police have not yet revealed if the vandals were part of the same groups that protested outside of Goldie.
No arrests have been made and police continue to review surveillance footage. If you have any information on the vandalism, please call or text the PPD tipline at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
During many rallies across the U.S. amid the Israel-Hamas War, protesters have accused the Israeli government of committing genocide against Palestinians. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish non-governmental organization and advocacy group, has spoken out against those accusations.
“Genocide is a legal term, and in no way do Israeli policies and actions meet this legal threshold,” an ADL spokesperson wrote. “Rather, the sensationalist use of the term genocide in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not only inaccurate and misleading, but it serves to demonize the State of Israel and to diminish recognized acts of genocide.”
The United Nations posted background information and a definition of genocide on their website.
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