More than 100 Philadelphians engaged in a midday protest Saturday against U.S. military action in the Middle East that included a City Hall rally and later march to Rittenhouse Square.
The protest, which condemned the recent attacks by Israel and the U.S. on Iran, as well as Israeli actions in Gaza, was originally scheduled for last Monday, but was moved to 1 p.m. Saturday to avoid last week’s extreme heat. In the time since the rescheduling, a ceasefire between the three countries was reached.
Organizers had said earlier in the week they expected hundreds to participate Saturday. Of those that did show, many brandished signs and harmonized in chants denouncing the actions of Israel and the U.S.
“The U.S. and Israel have not stopped. They want regime change in that country [Iran], and we do not believe that they will stop until they get it,” said Joel Northam, 37, who participated in the protest. Billy Penn approached multiple protest participants, who almost unanimously refused to speak on the record or share their identity.
The conflict between Israel and Iran began June 13, when Israel launched a series of attacks ostensibly aimed at Iran’s nuclear program, and entered a new phase when the U.S. joined the attack on Iran’s nuclear capabilities last weekend. Iran and Israel agreed to a ceasefire on Monday, June 23.
Saturday’s protest was organized by 18 Philadelphia activist organizations, including The Philly Palestine Coalition and Students for Justice in Palestine. Speeches by members of these groups addressed a variety of concerns, including American imperialism, the fate of the Palestine people, and the Trump administration.
Organizers said that the protest’s purpose was to “raise consciousness” of the situations and issues. Protests of the treatment of Palestinians, especially, have been a staple of public gatherings in and around Philly for nearly two years, as Israeli military actions in Gaza have inflicted tens of thousands of civilian casualties while pursuing Hamas, which staged a surprise attack on Israel in October 2023 that killed 1,200, many of them Israeli civilians.
“There are definitely people that don’t know about the situation there [in Iran and Palestine], so we’re out here to try to let people know what’s really happening because they’re being lied to,” Northam said.
During the rally at City Hall, one speaker who identified himself as “Israel’s worst nightmare” brought out an Israeli flag and stomped on it, calling it a terrorist flag and condemning the country’s actions in Gaza and Iran. Later, members of the protest attempted to burn an American flag, but it failed to catch fire and they ripped it apart by hand instead.
Signs and banners held by protestors read messages like “Stop genocide, free Palestine,” “Hands off Iran,” and one sign had an illustration of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu behind bars with the message “Lock him up.”
Traffic was stopped for the duration of the roughly half-mile march as the group made their way from City Hall to Rittenhouse Square, where a final rally was held on the corner of Walnut and 18th streets.
During this second stop in the rally, multiple onlookers confronted protestors. One man who claimed to be Jewish yelled that the group hated Jewish people and got into a loud exchange about Palestine with three protestors before walking off.
Another time, a woman stopped to loudly sing an Israeli song at the group while another man argued with protestors while recording with his phone.
Police stepped between protestors and onlookers before any confrontation could escalate, and most ended on their own.
The protestors were of many ages. Many looked to be in their early twenties, and some, like Joe Piette, were much older.
Piette, 78, shared that he served in, and later opposed, the Vietnam War and has been active in antiwar protests since then.
“I’m glad that a lot of young people are involved,” Piette said. “These are the people that are going to replace me and continue that struggle.”