MacKenzie Scott donated $2 million to an activist group that reportedly has links to a Philadelphia-based organization that staged a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Pennsylvania.
Bread & Roses Community Fund, a grassroots nonprofit devoted to “racial, social, and economic justice in the Philadelphia region,” was a recipient of a $2 million grant from Scott, the billionaire philanthropist and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The gift to the group was among 361 awards totaling $3.86 billion that Scott announced on March 19.
Scott, whose wealth was valued by Bloomberg Billionaires Index at $37.9 billion, making her the 42nd richest person in the world, has pledged to give away most of her fortune to charity.
Weeks after receiving the award, Bread & Roses paid tribute to the Philly Palestine Coalition by bestowing it with the “Victory is Ours Award,” a prize that is given to a local group that has “advanced moments for racial and economic justice.”
News of the ties between Bread & Rose and Philly Palestine Coalition was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.
The Post has sought comment from Bread & Roses and Philly Palestine Coalition.
Scott’s family office, Lost Horse LLC, which is headquartered in Seattle, was not immediately available for comment.
Philly Palestine Coalition is a group that describes itself as an “alliance of Palestinian, Black & Indigenous communities working to uplift Palestinian liberation.”
A glance at the group’s Instagram page shows videos and photos of members taking part in demonstrations while wearing traditional Arab headresses and scarves while waving the flag of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
“Raise the flag of the revolution!” some of the group’s members chanted in Arabic and English during one protest earlier this year.
Group members also chanted “Revolution, revolution against the occupier” and “Other than revolution there is no solution!”
Philly Palestine Coalition also took part in helping to organize the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on the campus grounds of UPenn.
The encampment wreaked havoc for two weeks before local police were deployed to clear it out on May 10 — arresting nearly three dozen people.
Police in dozens of towns cleared out encampments at universities in which students demonstrating against Israel were accused of hurling antisemitic slogans at their Jewish peers.
The encampments were set up in the wake of Israel’s retaliation against Hamas in Gaza for the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks which claimed the lives of nearly 1,200 Israelis.
Philly Palestine Coalition also supported demonstrations at nearby Drexel University, where students demanded that school’s Hillel and Chabad chapters be shut down.
Nora Elmarzouky, co-founder of Philly Palestine Coalition who was also honored by Bread & Roses, gave a speech at the Philadelphia City Council on Oct. 19 during which she wore a shirt that depicted Leila Khaled.
Khaled, 80, is a former member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine — a reputed terrorist organization.
In August 1969, Khaled took part in the hijacking of a TWA flight from Rome to Tel Aviv. According to reports, Elmarzouky’s shirt was emblazoned with a famous photo of Khaled wearing a kaffiyeh and holding an AK-47 rifle.
The shirt also included the words: “Resistance is not terrorism.”
The Post has sought comment from Elmarzouky.
Credit: Source link
