Anti-Israel activists burned American and Israeli flags and waved the flags of terrorist groups at July 4 protests in Philadelphia, New York City, and Los Angeles.
Activists at a Philly Palestine Coalition protest in Philadelphia chanted “Empire will fall” and “Long live the intifada” as they set American flags, Independence Day banners, and Israeli flags on fire.
A flag of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was raised by the burning flags, in a video posted to the group’s Instagram on Saturday. As the fire consumed the American flags, activists performed the inverted triangle hand gesture, a reference to the red triangle used to denote the targeting of personnel or vehicles in Gazan terrorist propaganda.
Philly for Palestine Coalition said that those who burned the flags were part of an “autonomous group” who decided to burn the flags at its march “against the US-Israeli empire,” but said that it supported the group that it said exercised its “first amendment protected right.”
“July 4 is an imperialist holiday, where the US seeks to shove its red, white, and blue, stars and stripes, down the throats of every US citizen. We have every right to protest this empire, and those who chose to burn the Stars and stripes have every right to do so,” said PPC. “Although we had no prior knowledge of the autonomous group who carried out this action, we stand firmly in solidarity with them against the Western imperial core.”
PPC accused Philadelphia law enforcement of using excessive force against the almost 1000 protesters. Two protesters were allegedly injured, and eight more were arrested and released later on Thursday night.
Anti-Israel activism
At a New York City July 4 protest organized by Within Our Lifetime, protesters with Hamas flags could be seen in videos published on the group’s social media. A Palestinian Islamic Jihad flag was also visible in footage published on Instagram by the Bronx Anti-War Coalition.
Anti-Israel activists set American flags ablaze while shouting “free Palestine,” according to Freedom News.
A sign at the protests called for “death to all kings” with pictures of former president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Another sign depicted a burning US flag.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad flag seen in a Bronx Anti-War video on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/2kTViFuhas
— Michael Starr (@StarrJpost) July 5, 2024
Advertisement for the event called, “Flood July 4 for Gaza.” Organizer WOL said on X, formerly Twitter, that it sought to “disrupt the 4th of July” and was “making clear that these are our streets.”
A Palestinian Youth Movement New York City activist said on Instagram that it participated in the event to “reject the celebration of the US’s national myths and instead commit to taking the streets of New York to condemn American complicity in genocide and imperialism, both in occupied Palestine and around the globe.”
The Bronx Anti-War Coalition said in a statement that it rejected the celebration of July 4, calling the US and the West a “barbaric blight on this earth.” The group called for revolution and to repurpose July 4 as “an International Day of Struggle Against US Imperialism.” The group also wrote on Instagram that it believed that defeating Israel would lead to the rest of the “imperialist system” of the US and the West to “fall like dominoes.”
Los Angeles-based videographer Sean Beckner-Carmitchel reported that around 50 anti-Israel activists marched through downtown Los Angeles on July 4. While parading down the 101 freeway, they reportedly set an American flag on fire.
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