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Antisemitic mob screaming 'we charge you with genocide' outside Jewish-owned Philly store sparks outrage

Goldie, the Philadelphia restaurant chain, is owned by Israeli-born chef Mike Solomonov, who was raised in Pittsburgh and has won a James Beard Award

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: A wave of outrage swept social media after an antisemitic mob was videotaped screaming threats outside a Jewish-owned falafel store in Philadelphia.

Goldie, the Philadelphia restaurant chain, is owned by Israeli-born chef Mike Solomonov, who was raised in Pittsburgh and has won a James Beard Award previously.

A user, claiming to be an employee at Bloomberg, shared the horrific video of the demonstration where the mob was seen chanting “Goldie, Goldie you can't hide, we charge you with genocide,” at the Goldie's location in Center City.

"They continued their march down the street, but not before vandalizing the front windows," the user wrote alongside the video.

"To clarify, I witnessed them placing stickers on the front door and windows of the restaurant. I just walked by," and the stickers read "Free Palestine" and "This is Genocide,” he added.

Pennsylvania governor denounces antisemitic mob

The chants by the antisemitic mob were denounced across the political spectrum, including in a post on X by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

“Tonight in Philly, we saw a blatant act of antisemitism - not a peaceful protest,” stated Shapiro, the third Jewish governor of the state.

“A restaurant was targeted and mobbed because its owner is Jewish and Israeli. This hate and bigotry is reminiscent of a dark time in history,” he continued.

In addition, Shapiro said he had contacted Solomonov “to share our support, and Lori and I look forward to breaking bread there with them again soon.”

The threats from the mob coincided with calls for a violent revolt against Israel, or an "intifada" by students at the nearby University of Pennsylvania.

The Philly Palestine Coalition led the demonstrations and attempted to divert attention from Philadelphia Eagles game watchers by yelling, "While you're watching, bombs are dropping," in local bars.

The Ivy League institution has been frequently under fire over instances of antisemitism since the October 7 attacks on campus after anti-Jewish slogans were projected onto three of the school's buildings.

Internet reacts to mob threats

The videos of the demonstrations have garnered immense social media attention, with users outraged over mobs attacking Jewish-owned falafel stores in Philadelphia

“How does protesting at a restaurant stop a single Israeli bomb? This is just mindless and counterproductive,” one user said

“Some people say that Americans should arm themselves, because in dangerous situations you can only depend on yourself. Where are the police? Major cities should have curfews these days, until things cool down,” the second user wrote.

“So they're actively threatening people who have nothing to do with their "cause", based solely on the race and ethnicity of the civilians they're attempting to harm. What end result do these people really expect from this behavior? Put a stop to this before it get REALLY ugly,” the third user slammed.

“Americans are very long suffering. Until they’re not,” the fourth user fumed, while fifth one said “Once again proving that this is about hating Jews, not just Israel.”

“Remember that hit list put out by that hamas account? Yup, this is the result,” one more stated.