Over the weekend, in Burlington, Vermont, three students identified as Palestinians were shot and wounded near the University of Vermont campus. The young men were reportedly speaking Arabic and two of them were wearing the distinctive Palestinian keffiyas. A 48-year-old man identified as Jason Eaton has been charged with three counts of second-degree attempted murder.
We still don't know all the facts surrounding the incident, but on the surface, one can only say that this must be condemned, assuming the attack was unprovoked and not a case of self-defense. As yet, there has been no release of information suggesting that was the case.
These are tense times we are living in with the Israeli-Hamas war and the emotions that has caused in the US. On November 5, a 69-year-old Jewish man was killed in an altercation with a pro-Palestinian demonstrator near Los Angeles. We don't need any more people hurt or killed in our country over this conflict.
I won't hesitate to report on violence carried out by pro-Palestinian demonstrators, but I will not be a hypocrite. What happened in Vermont is unacceptable and justice must do its job. It should also serve as a reminder that worse violence may be on the way. Although the Vermont incident did not happen during a demonstration, it still underlines the fact that pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian demonstrations must be accompanied by a visible police presence.
No comments:
Post a Comment