Anti-Israel Protesters Block, Disrupt Philadelphia’s Annual Gay Pride Parade
Anti-Israel protesters at Philadelphia have shut down the city’s annual pride parade, blocking individuals from marching in the streets and chanting slogans comparing Israel to infamous racist groups. According to videos posted of the event online Sunday, dozens of protesters stood in the middle of the street to block drum lines and dance troupes from […]
Anti-Israel protesters at Philadelphia have shut down the city’s annual pride parade, blocking individuals from marching in the streets and chanting slogans comparing Israel to infamous racist groups.
According to videos posted of the event online Sunday, dozens of protesters stood in the middle of the street to block drum lines and dance troupes from moving down the parade route at downtown Philadelphia.
One anti-Israel protester held up a pride flag with the words “No Pride in Genocide” scrawled across it. The flag was also covered with blood red hand prints. In the same video, a tall, muscular man clad in leather can be seen arguing with several women who are demanding that he get out of their way.
One man who covered his face with a keffiyeh held a microphone and chanted through a stereo: “Palestine will live forever!” and “From the sea to the river!”
Another set of protesters held up a homemade sign that said: “From Congo to Sudan and Palestine End Genocide.”
In another video, dozens of mask-wearing, black-clad protesters chant loudly as pride parade attendees march past them. The anti-Israel demonstrators were shouting: “The more you try to silence us, the louder we will be!”
It is unclear if or how many of the protesters were themselves members of the LGBT community, or if their sole motivation was demonstrating against Israel. It was also unclear whether any of the anti-Israel protesters are involved in the “Queers for Palestine” movement active on some college campuses this spring.
One anti-Israel demonstrator gave a speech in the middle of the parade route to decry “occupation” as anti-LGBT.
He said that he and his fellow protesters wanted to “mobilize to bring about an end to the Zionist occupation and to all systems and entities that normalize genocide.”
“Pride as we know it cannot be separated from our current political and economic climate. Pride celebrations have merely become a public relations instrument used by the state to divert public attention away from the configuration of violent, repressive policies and practices inflicted upon queer bodies worldwide,” he said.
