‘As an American Muslim, I felt compelled’: PA Democrat slams antisemitic rally glorifying Hamas

By Fox News · Fox News

A top Pennsylvania Democrat unloaded on antisemitic protesters who flooded Philadelphia's iconic Rittenhouse Square over the weekend, saying that as an American Muslim he felt compelled to speak out. A group calling themselves the Philly Palestine Coalition amassed in the leafy square, spreading slogans like "Abu Obeida Lives" — in reference to the deceased Hamas spokesman — and a speaker declared that "martyrdom is a commitment [and] a principle," while others called for "intifada," according to the Jewish News Service . "I forcefully condemn the antisemitic rally that took place today in Rittenhouse Square," said State Sen. Sharif Street of North Philadelphia — the first elected Muslim in the chamber, who is also running to succeed the retiring Rep. Dwight Evans, D-Pa. "As an American Muslim, I feel compelled to say that Hamas is a terrorist organization and should be condemned — not glorified," Street said in a statement. "Anyone calling for violence in the streets of Philadelphia is not advancing peace. They're setting it back." TEACH-IN FOR 'PHILLY TO PALESTINE' SET FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY Street is notably the son of popular former Mayor John Street — who led the city through what he called a "neighborhood transformation" as technology and the job market evolved in the 2000s — and nephew of the late vendor-turned-activist T. Milton Street, who held the same State Senate seat in the 1980s. Street’s comments mirror those of another prominent Pennsylvania Democrat, Gov. Josh Shapiro, who made headlines as a rare voice on the left speaking out against similar antisemitic behavior in 2025 at the University of Pennsylvania, just across the Schuylkill River from this weekend’s protest. Street said in a statement that in light of Shapiro’s official residence in Harrisburg being "firebombed" and mass shootings at a Pittsburgh synagogue and AME church in Charleston, South Carolina, politicians must "unequivocally condemn antisemitism, racism and hate in all its…