Tensions rise as controversial remarks at Philadelphia protest draw scrutiny. Philadelphia protest draws backlash after speaker praises attacks on U.S. troops.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – A demonstration organized by the Philly Palestine Coalition is drawing renewed attention after video and accounts surfaced showing a speaker making inflammatory remarks about U.S. military personnel during a march through the city. A video from the protest is going viral on X today.
The protest, held on Feb. 1, drew nearly 100 participants who marched from Rittenhouse Square to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in temperatures near 20 degrees. Demonstrators carried banners reading “Right to resist, right to return” and chanted slogans referencing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Philadelphia Police Department.
Organizers said the march focused on political prisoners and international solidarity, highlighting figures including Marwan Barghouti, Ahmad Sa’adat, and Mumia Abu-Jamal. Speakers also linked causes in Palestine with movements in Venezuela, Cuba, and immigration enforcement in the United States.
Remarks during rally spark reaction
During the event, an unidentified speaker made remarks that have since drawn criticism for referencing violence against American troops.
“Until we have done everything in our power to bring the United States to its knees, let us not lose sight of the enemy. For every US military base that crumbles and for every US soldier who returns home in a casket, we cheer,” the speaker said. “Hamas, Hezbollah, Ansar Allah, all of the resistance forces we celebrate.”…