'Gas the Jews': Anti-Israel rallies break out following Hamas attack
Philadelphia
Around 220 people participated in an "emergency solidarity rally" organized by the Philly Palestine Coalition at Rittenhouse Square on Sunday.
The group's Instagram page describes itself as "A Philly-based Alliance of Palestinian, Black & Indigenous community members & orgs working to support & uplift Palestinian leadership & liberation."
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As The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sunday, many demonstrators called on the U.S. to stop supporting Israel, with many of them chanting, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."
Attendees marched from Rittenhouse Square, pausing at several locations to allow time for speeches. They eventually made their way to City Hall. Video footage of the event shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, Monday shows one of the speakers declaring that the demonstrators are "proud" of what happened in Israel, referring to Hamas' surprise attack.
Another video tweeted the same day shows one of the speakers comparing Hamas' assault to American slaves rebelling against their slaveholders.
"To get to the point where things had to happen like they happened yesterday," One of the speakers said. "When the colonizers woke up, and they felt the same kind of pressure that black people in this country put down on their slave masters when they woke up."
Pro-Terrorist Protesters Justify Hamas’ Attack On Innocent Civilians pic.twitter.com/M7c4M7abq8
— Olga Benacerraf (@olgavbenacerraf) October 9, 2023
Some of the event attendees seen in footage wore masks to cover their faces or hats that read "ACAB," which stands for "All Cops Are Bastards." Protesters also attempted to prevent themselves from being filmed by placing their hands in front of the camera.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro joined a rally Monday evening outside the Kaiserman Jewish Community Center to mourn the victims of Hamas' deadly assault.
As The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, the gathering, attended by thousands, marked the largest local showing of support following the terrorist group's surprise attack against the Jewish state.
The event, organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, occurred one day after the anti-Israel "emergency solidarity rally." Shapiro, the state's third Jewish governor, called Israel "the only pluralistic functioning democracy in the Middle East."
"There is no moral equivalency between Hamas and Israel," he said. "We are witnessing crimes against humanity; … we must call out what is right and what is so obviously wrong."
Jewish Federation CEO Michael Balaban also empathized with the local Jewish community's fears about loved ones currently in Israel and the ongoing killings and the condition of hostages taken by Hamas.
"Right now, we stand united, but we also stand in pain together," Balaban said. "We are heartbroken, we are grieving, and we are angry."
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
