Mayor Biss Backs Pro-Palestine Group’s Parade Inclusion Amid Community Dispute

EVANSTON, IL — Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss has issued a statement after the city faced criticism over the inclusion of the community group “Evanston for a Free Palestine” in the Fourth of July parade.

Members of the community, including members of the Chicago Jewish Alliance, argued the group should not have been allowed to march in the celebration.

In a statement on Substack, Biss said he strongly supported the decision to include Evanston for a Free Palestine in the parade. He argued that not allowing the group to march would have been an insult to the values celebrated on Independence Day.

"My approach has been consistent: it would be inappropriate for the government to censor opinions that are peacefully voiced. That principle has held regardless of the viewpoint being expressed, from the encampments at Northwestern University to the recent local visit by a member of the Israel Defense Forces," Biss said. “I strongly support their decision to accept the application of the Evanston for a Free Palestine marching unit. In my view, doing anything else would have been a violation of and an insult to the very ideals we gather to celebrate on the Fourth of July.”

Biss also acknowledged the danger antisemitism poses to the Jewish community, as a Jewish man himself, and said that antisemitism has no place in Evanston.

Critics of the group’s inclusion also spoke publicly. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Chicago Jewish Alliance said the group had no place at an event meant to unite the community.

"Following the Fourth of July parade, the Chicago Jewish Alliance received thousands of outspoken emails, phone calls and messages from Jewish families. Parents told us their children felt intimidated. Others said they no longer felt welcome at what should have been a celebration of our country," Chicago Jewish Alliance Chief Strategy Officer Ethan Slyder said.

Evanston’s Fourth of July parade and celebrations are run by the Evanston Fourth of July Association, an independent non-profit organization. The association manages parade entries and establishes its own rules and guidelines, and the decision to include Evanston for a Free Palestine was made by that organization, not the City of Evanston.

The Evanston Fourth of July Association said July 8 that a resident raised concerns before the city’s July 4 parade about including one group in the lineup. In response, the organization said it sought guidance from the Evanston city manager and the Evanston Police Department before the event.

Both the city manager and police advised that there were no direct threats tied to the parade entry.

"As a 105-year-old organization that bases the Evanston Fourth of July Celebration on annually recognizing the founding of these United States of America, we heartily support our Constitution and all its amendments, and encourage all people to embrace their civil rights. We hope to continue celebrating Evanston residents’ varying points of view each year on July 4 in commemoration of the founding of our great nation," Association officials said.