Mummers To Protest Jim Kenney On New Year's Day In Lieu Of Parade

PHILADELPHIA — There is no Mummers parade planned for Jan. 1, but a Mummers protest is planned.

The Mummers/New Year's Day Peaceful Protest Against Mayor Kenney will take place from noon Jan. 1 to midnight Jan. 2, according to the Facebook event page.

About 2,700 people have responded to the Facebook event saying they will attend the protest. An additional 8,300 responded saying they are interested in the event.

"Mayor Jim Kenney has tried for years (like every Philly Mayor in the past) to cancel the Philadelphia Mummers Parade, a tradition preceding the birth of our nation," the event page reads. "What he can NOT do is cancel our First Amendment right to peacefully protest his erroneous taxes and restrictions on our freedoms and liberties."

So rather than hold a parade, organizers are holding a protest.

"It should go without saying that everyone will be on 2nd Street New Year's Day, strutting their best, to peacefully protest his administration in true, centuries old fashion, as we usually do every New Years," the event page reads.

The event accuses Kenney of having an "anti-Philly agenda."

Organizers said Second Street will be "bumping on New Year's Day, and you are silly if you thought it was not going to."

Kenney Tuesday during a news conference said the city will allow the protest to take place as is their right, but asked those planning to attend to reconsider.

"Well, I think it's important to remember that the bulk of the Mummers and their organized groups made clear that they weren't going to march this year," he said. "We'll try to keep them safe. If they would wear a mask that would be helpful."