Philadelphia agitators protest America, Israel, burn flags outside City Hall on July 4

About 400 of anti-Israel and anti-American agitators protested in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square on July 4 during a rally organizers called “All Out for Gaza.” They then marched to Philadelphia’s City Hall and burned American flags while waving Palestinian flags to support Hamas in Gaza. Many others were out celebrating the nation's birth in the City of Brotherly Love, where the Declaration of Independence was written amid the Revolutionary War in 1776 and the Constitution was drafted in 1787.

Officers said that arrests were made and that the agitators threw bottles at officers when they attempted to clear those setting fires. It was after the fires began that police moved in, saying that they are all for the First Amendment but that violence and property destruction would not be permitted.

The Philly Palestine Coalition organized the actions to “march in solidarity with the resistance and against this war machine.” Anti-American radicals posted on Instagram, “We stand with the resistance and support Palestine, not AmeriKKKA! We don’t celebrate the legacy of genocide, colonialism, and slavery that July 4th symbolizes, but struggle for true LIBERATION for all.”



One of the organizers, Besan Ahmad, told a local PBS affiliate, “This country emphasizes freedom and independence, but the truth is its only independence for whites. And the independence of those whites came from Black, brown, and Indigenous people.”

Jack McKernan, a protest participant, told the outlet, “It’s the day we got our freedom to do it. As flawed as the Founding Fathers were, they signed a document today that said, ‘Hey, we can freely protest,’ so why not today?”

First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford. told ABC that "A handful of arrests were made." Additional police were reportedly called in when an act of vandalism was carried out as the agitators marched down Chestnut Street, and police moved in on the group when the fires were started. 

"We're still working out and sorting through that, but that type of behavior absolutely cannot be tolerated. We are always open to individuals expressing their First Amendment right. We are here for that purpose, of protecting and making sure that everyone has an ability to do so. However, once it turns violent, or there's a situation where individuals are going to destroy property, it changes the dynamic of everything," Stanford said.

Philadelphia has seen many anti-Israel and anti-American actions since Palestinian terrorists attacked the Jewish state on Oct 7. Students at UPenn organized a Gaza camp in the spring that the university disbanded. Police arrested 33 students while breaking up the encampment.