A bicycle demonstration in Philadelphia calling for a boycott of six Jewish-owned restaurants drew the opposite of its intended effect on Nov. 8, as crowds of supporters packed the targeted businesses instead.
Anti-Israel protesters organized the ride to discourage people from patronizing the restaurants, according to accounts of the demonstration. The protest took place on the eve of the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi attacks on Jewish-owned businesses and communities across Germany and Austria.
Rather than staying away, residents turned out in large numbers. The Anti-Defamation League encouraged people to eat at the restaurants named in the boycott call, and the organization JewBelong put up billboards urging people to “boycott the boycott.”
Hundreds of people showed up at the restaurants, forming lines around city blocks. At least one of the businesses reported it was worried about having enough food to serve the turnout.
The Philadelphia chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America has since pushed back publicly against the backlash the boycott effort received, according to reporting on the episode.
Jewish organizations framed the community response as a case of free expression countering free expression, with the ADL and other groups mobilizing supporters to show up rather than seeking to shut down the protest itself.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login