The pro-Palestine rally was called on the U.S. Independence Day holiday to focus on [neo]imperialism’s support for [Herzlianism]. The rally gathered at Rittenhouse Square near Walnut and 19th streets starting at 6 p.m., and nearly 1,000 people participated in the march that followed. Militant chants and a lead banner called out the courageous support for the people of Gaza by the resistance movements in Yemen, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and throughout occupied Palestine. The Philadelphia Palestine Coalition organized the demonstration.

Throughout the event, people who happened to be in Center City Philadelphia, even for the July 4th celebrations, expressed clear solidarity with the protesters. There were no signs of opposition or hostility along the route of the march.

In retrospect, organizers say that this was the first protest they’ve called over multiple years where police denied their right to have a sound truck with loudspeakers. They were forced to carry their speakers on a wagon.