A boycott of Jewish-owned restaurants in Philadelphia was drowned out on Sunday by a large crowd of counter-protesters, with supporters queuing outside the targeted businesses in Rittenhouse Square. The ride, organised by a cycling group called Philly Bike On Your Left, targeted six restaurants and fell on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi pogrom against Jewish businesses and homes.

Dozens of masked cyclists rode through the neighbourhood, but they were met by a much larger crowd of supporters who heckled them and filled the restaurants. Lines stretched out of the doors of the targeted businesses, and the boycott ride was forced to shut down early, with organisers citing safety concerns. Police were seen arresting at least one masked boycotter at the scene.

City leaders condemn the boycott

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office condemned the boycott as an antisemitic act that had no place in the city. The Anti-Defamation League, which had urged people to patronise the restaurants, said the protest was an attempt to intimidate a Jewish community that had faced generations of violence, exclusion and antisemitism.

The six restaurants named in the campaign were K'Far Cafe, Huda, Mac Mart, Goldie, Dizengoff and Schlesinger's Delicatessen. Organisers said the event had been grossly misrepresented, describing themselves as a nonviolent group opposed to antisemitism and saying the boycott was aimed at the businesses' support for Israel. One business owner said her mac and cheese shop had nothing to do with Israel and believed she was targeted because she wears a Star of David.

A supporter who travelled from New York, Matt Sheldon, put the number of boycotters at about 75. "It's the biggest bust of a boycott there is," he said, adding that the targeted restaurants had become "rock stars" for the day.