Philadelphia police are investigating the alleged vandalism of the Israeli flag along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway Friday morning.
Lori Lowenthal Marcus, the legal director of the Deborah Project – described as a “public interest law firm that asserts and defends the civil rights of Jews facing discrimination” – shared a photo of what appeared to be red paint smeared on the Israeli flag along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Center City.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia also released a statement on Friday stating the flag was vandalized.
“The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia strongly condemns the vandalism of an Israeli flag on Benjamin Franklin Parkway this morning,” a spokesperson for the organization wrote. “This defacement following last night’s terror attack in Israel meant to threaten and intimidate the Greater Philadelphia Jewish community, further contributing to rising levels of antisemitism nationally. We appreciate the work of Mayor Parker’s office to swiftly remove the defaced flag, sending a clear message that there is no tolerance for antisemitism and hate in Philadelphia.”
NBC10 responded to the Parkway Friday afternoon and spotted an Israeli flag — that was new in appearance — hanging on its designated flagpole, which is located near the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza.
NBC10 reached out to the city of Philadelphia to confirm the vandalism. They referred us to Philadelphia police who confirmed they are investigating the reported vandalism but had no further information.
The alleged vandalism occurred hours after an Iranian-made drone sent by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck Tel Aviv, Israel, on Friday, leaving at least one person dead and at least 10 others wounded, according to the Israeli military.
In 2018, a man was arrested for allegedly spraying red paint on the Israeli flag along the Parkway.
