By Michael Bielawski
The Palestinian community is planning a candlelight vigil at the Statehouse this Saturday in response to the triple shooting of three young Palestinian men over the weekend.
The vigil is to be at the Statehouse front lawn from 1-to-3 PM. Meanwhile, social justice activists and others have sounded off online about the shooting.
Social media response on X
On X many people posted in support of the three young victims. @iefrantz posted on Monday evening, “We gathered this evening for a vigil for the three students who were shot in Burlington this past weekend, and for safety for all.”
@VT_Media_Maven is not convinced that Chittenden County State Attorney Sarah George will fully prosecute Eaton.
“Fed hate crime Qs aside, if mental illness factors into #btv Eaton case, will Sarah George drop charges as she did on 3 murder cases in 2019? If she drops and Scott asks AG Clark to review, would Clark refile charges like TJ did on those 2019 cases? #vtpoli watches and waits,” the post states.
There was at least one rally in response to the shooting. @TheRakeVermont posted, “An emergency rally has been called for today at 5 pm at Burlington City Hall, Church Street side, in the wake of yesterday’s shooting of three Palestinians.”
@SquidbillyCPO1 is skeptical that this was in fact a hate crime, writing, “You know how we know with 100% certainty this was most likely a personnel beef? The police have not held a press conference to announce it was a hate crime. If they had even a nanometer of proof it was we would be hearing about it 24/7/365.”
Responses on Facebook
On Facebook, VT AFL-CIO president David Van Deusen blames rightwing extremists for the attack.
“My heart goes out to the three students that were shot. Vermont must root out and resist violent rightwing extremists.”
Ashley Smith of Burlington called it Islamophobia, writing, “Over 300 people turned out on 2 hours notice to protest against the racist, hate crime against three Palestinians in our home town. We showed that Burlington in our overwhelming majority is against anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia.”
Police chief reacts
Appearing on the Morning Drive Radio Show on Tuesday was Chief Jon Murad who spoke about how most people want to know what was the motive of the suspected shooter Jason J. Eaton who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted 2nd-degree murder.
“When something this horrific and inexplicable happens, people seek out reason. And unfortunately, at times there isn’t a lot. Some of these things are not things that reasonable people do and they are things that are awful and they are outside of our norms and we may not find the answers that really satisfy us,” Murad said.
Murad also talked about how his department reached out to both Palestinian and Jewish communities to make sure everyone is OK.
“Our Jewish community is very concerned about this incident,” he said. “Obviously our Muslim community is [too] … I’m concerned about our Jewish community too because they feel keenly that something like this could cause repercussions and counter-violence.”
Jewish Community Reacts
JWeekly.com has reported that the Jewish Community has also spoken out in condemnation of this latest shooting.
“At least three area rabbis and three different Hillels were among the voices expressing shock and sadness over the shooting, the latest outbreak of violence in the United States connected to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza,” the report states.
The report continues that since the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7, there have been multiple attacks against both Palestinians and Jewish people throughout the states.
Pro-Palestinian groups sound off on general conflict
Large pro-Palestinian groups in Vermont have in some cases expressed hostility towards those who support Israel.
“Israel has declared total war on Gaza with the full military, economic, and diplomatic support of the U.S.,” the Vermonters For Justice In Palestine group posted on their website along with their announcement for the vigil.
They continued, “While the U.S. government denies its own citizens access to healthcare, climate disaster relief, education, and more, it is sending billions of dollars of aid and military supplies to Israel.”
They make no mention of the Hamas Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. It continues, “[Israel] has destroyed schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, and civilian housing in flagrant violation of international law, and has also carried out attacks on the West Bank and the surrounding region.”
Students for Justice in Palestine signed onto the statement. Their Vermont chapter website states several of their goals including;
“Attempting to redress the historic injustices of colonialism, and particularly settler-colonialism, in Palestine and elsewhere in the world, including the United States and its territories through a program of decolonization and reparations.”
The author is a reporter for the Vermont Daily Chronicle
Categories: Media
So, Dave Van Deusen is a member of the Labor Solidarity Group, which amounts to a group that supports socialism or democratic socialism. Therefore, it does not surprise me that he would blame right wing extremists for what occurred. He obviously got the script. This is because socialists strive for global socialism and support Pluralism defined by the United Nations as “We the people of the United Nations.” This includes open borders, destruction of the nation state and redistribution of wealth to create more equal outcomes globally.
Actually, the group doesn’t really support “democratic socialism. All such ideas have been hijacked by hardline Marxists, such as Mr. Van Deusen. I had a very telling letter which he published until a computer glitch lost it. He is quite open about it.
Blaming everything on oppressor/oppressed despite evidence to the contrary is standard Marxist procedure.
These folks don’t miss an opportunity to spread their poisonous accusations and agenda talking points. As the police chief said, sometimes people who do things such as this shooting do them for inexplicable reasons. Sometimes they are just mentally ill and it makes sense to them. Using this to bash the right is expected of course but unacceptable. And the shooter appears to be a leftist anyway.
More of the same blatant hypocrisy from Marxists/Leftists who decry hate and ethnic/racial phobias but actively promote hate and ethnic/racial division. Of course, none of the Leftist supported media in Vermont will bother to highlight this given the absence of any foundation for ethical journalism: accuracy, independence, impartiality, humanity and accountability.
Lumping racism and right wing in the same sentence is inflammatory. And just feeds the flames of division. But isn’t that the presses goal??? Stop it. Since when is the president of the football the expert on what caused that shooting?? I think you have to ask the shooter. Mental illness and entitlement is rampant in Vermont. Accept the blame
See how fast they spread lies on social media? Wonder how Germany got in the trouble they did years ago? Propaganda……we get to see it working real time, here in Vermont.
Yet notice how none of the political leaders speak about propaganda? Wonder why they never discuss it? And it being so dominant in our state, but no leaders talk about it. Nobody even says, lets wait to see where the facts lead us….they used to do this years and years ago….not anymore. Interesting times.
It’s already fading on social media. Must not be able to pin it on Raycist Orange Man ppl. The only good news is that since they want to disappear it now that they’ve realized he’s one of their own, they won’t use it for a new stupid gun law. Oh, and Van Deusen’s a communist.
Thank you for clarifying that Van Deusen is also a communist. This doesn’t surprise me.
By all accounts the alleged shooter was a left wing socialist, so that narrative of Islamaphobia and right wing extremism can go away!! Blame yourselves because you support terrorists/terrorism! Not a good look for Vermont on the national level
If it was a hate crime, due to ignorance mind you, that is between the individuals. Blaming anyone else for one individuals idiotic actions, is wrong. If he had beef, wrong response. If he had hate, wrong response. Palestinians are not all members of Hamas, Black’s are not all drug dealers, Mexicans are not all cartel members. One of the biggest problems people have is living by emotions, not using their head. Be pro whatever you want, be against whatever you want. But violence other than self defense is just STUPID. Also, even if he is a far right believer, an anti vaxxer, or a number of things the media uncovered. Don’t rope everyone into the same category of stupidity. We are all responsible for our own actions, they have consequences, stupid is as stupid does, on both sides.
https://themessenger.com/news/palestine-poll-hamas-support-war-israel-state-river-sea
You’re right but a strong majority of Palestinians do support hamas and the slaughter that took place on October 7th.
Unfortunately it seems more and more that actions do not have consequences anymore !
This is why critical social justice adopted identity politics as a means to apply critical labels to advance its agenda. Another example is labeling all white people as racists and white supremacists.
Do a little homework on the shooter. I don’t think he can be categorized as a radical rightwing extremist.
So is anytime a person purposely pulls the trigger and shoots another person an act of hate? Asking for a friend
The only FB, supremacist comment I noted was by a self-proclaimed, lesbian, animal rights activist. No has taken her serious for years. Such incidents draw out the weakest minds.
The odds of this being a random encounter seem unlikely. I’ll wait for some facts before making judgement.
I wait for more facts, but what I’ve read so far this person sounds like he has mental problems. Who if anyone knew he had possession of a gun? Are they not liable? I also blame the closing of mental institutions by the bleeding heart liberals. This person fell through the cracks due to poor State policy. Sounds almost similar to Maine’s incident.
So, Vermont’s Red Flag law worked really good?
David Van Deusen is a radicalized leftist of the first degree. He makes Mao look like a benevolent spirit and my two legislators in Manchester look like they were never even “community organizers”! The most laughable part of all this is that these leftist leaders will be some of the first to be corralled & clipped by the cause – these peons will be lording over no one. History ALWAYS repeats itself and fools will always be fools. If they’re lucky, maybe they’ll be allowed to barely survive in a modest hovel in the “workforce” housing they’re trying to build all over creation.
Lets outlaw guns for socialists, communists, leftists, progressives and democrats. And send the cops to confiscate them. That ought to stop this stuff.
“My heart goes out to the three students that were shot. Vermont must root out and resist violent rightwing extremists.”
OK, so the guy can write, so he can presumably read, but I’m wondering how his reading comprehension is. How on earth, based on the info that the public currently has does he come up with right wing extremism as the root cause. Ideological blindness is apparently a thing, WOW!
A terrible act once again conveniently blamed and narrated to fit a liberal agenda .
Let me see if I understand some of this. We hear a cacophony of demands for the extermination of Jews, Israel and “death to America”. It’s an international phenomena and it reverberates in our own neighborhoods. So among these folks who declare themselves our lethal enemies we are charged with distinguishing those who might be benign Arabs, Palestinians, Islamic adherents or we will be condemned as “Islamophobic”. Considering that we are essentially at war with a declared existential enemy bound for the extermination of Jews and infidels would it be prudent for those who are innocent…who are not among the enemy… to demonstrate that to us so we don’t islamophob them? Perhaps wear an Israeli or American flag, or a Star of David?
Exactly. So walking down the street wearing a keffiyeh and speaking Arabic might perhaps raise a bit of concern for some. I would be leery of these 3 guys myself. I wouldn’t attack them in any fashion unless they attacked me first of course but I’m sane. I’d probably stay on the other side of the street as I’d recognize the signals being sent by the keffiyeh and know that their kind wants my kind dead. But the Moslems here will now milk this sad senseless event for all it’s worth, declaring Islamophobia to be a major problem here when in truth ALL of the violent rallies and rhetoric have been AGAINST Jews and Israel.
“THE ENEMY IS ALREADY HERE”. – Dan Bongino
Right on cue, the hounds are released. Distract, deceive and destroy, playbook known. In case you missed it, there is a serious respiratory virus spreading through China, Pizzagate is trending, banks filed statements to close several branches across the USA, the real estate market (commerical and residential) cratering, credit lines being cut off, and several thousand workers received pink slips. Selection season is well underway via convoluted narratives and threat of another deadly disease. Our country and our livlihoods are being destroyed – this time it may actually work according to plan as they are throwing everything and anything to make it happen.
Ok “students” show me on the map where the country of Palestine is?