Chris Rabb stays neutral on controversial bike protest against Jewish businesses, earning criticism from John Fetterman
“I heard some awful things in some of the videos from counter-protesters. I also heard people who were hurting because they were triggered by the timing of the bike ride," Rabb told CBS.
U.S. Rep.-elect Chris Rabb took a neutral approach when asked about a controversial pro-Palestinian protest that targeted six Jewish-owned restaurants near Rittenhouse Square last weekend.
“I respect everyone’s right to the First Amendment, freedom of assembly, freedom speech,” Rabb, the first democratic socialist elected to represent the city in Congress, told CBS News Wednesday when asked about how comfortable he was with the protest.
“But I also feel like it’s important that we find common cause and we come together and listen to each other. We might not agree on certain issues whether it’s on Israel or Palestine or such, but I think we have to find ways to engage each other in good faith,” said Rabb, 56, a progressive from Mount Airy.
Organizers of the “Boycott Ride” described it as a protest against “Zionist establishments.” The timing of the protest drew widespread criticism as the event fell on the eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht in 1938, when Nazis coordinated anti-Jewish attacks across Germany and Austria, which targeted businesses and synagogues.
The event drew a counter protest in support of the businesses and condemnation from elected leaders, including Mayor Cherelle L. Parker who said “singling out businesses because their owners are Jewish is unacceptable and has no place in our city.”
Rabb, an outspoken critic of Israel who emphasized that he was in Washington at the time of the protest, acknowledged critics’ concerns about the timing of the event. But he also questioned the rhetoric of counter-protesters.
“I don’t want to dehumanize people who do not share my views and vice versa,” Rabb said. “I heard some awful things in some of the videos from counter-protesters. I also heard people who were hurting because they were triggered by the timing of the bike ride that related to boycotting of Jewish businesses in Nazi Germany.”
Rabb, who called himself a “convener,” called for more dialogue when he returns to Philadelphia.
Rabb’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers much of the city, is one of the bluest in the nation. He jokingly told CBS’ Major Garrett that is has more raccoons than Republicans. He won a crowded primary in May after drawing a hard line on Gaza against his opponents who stopped short of calling Israel’s war a “genocide.”
But Rabb has also drawn scrutiny related to the issue, most notably for an antisemitic Instagram post he disavowed and blamed on a former staffer, which spread a conspiracy theory blaming Israel for the deadly Bondi Beach attack in Australia.
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman took Rabb to task Thursday for not speaking out in the aftermath of the bike protest and suggested it was representative of a broader issue.
“That’s consistent with who he is. He’s intensely anti-Israel and seems to have a lot of other baggage with strong feelings against the Jewish community too. He has no words on that — I think that says a lot,” Fetterman told Jewish Insider.
In his CBS interview, Rabb appeared to respond to criticism that he hadn’t said enough publicly. “People want to say, ‘Oh, your silence means X. You showing up here means Y,’ without actually having a genuine conversation, a real dialogue that’s not about scoring points or playing a purity test,” he said.
