Around 6:25 pm on Saturday, November 25th, a gunman shot and wounded three 20 year-old Palestinian men near the University of Vermont in what investigators suspect was a hate-motivated crime. Two of the victims were wearing keffiyehs - traditional black-and-white checkered scarfs that have now come to symbolize Palestinian solidarity - at the time of the shooting, and one of the victims has been reported as "seriously injured" according to authorities.
The three men were walking during a visit to the home of one of the victims' relatives when they were confronted by a middle-aged white man wielding a handgun, firing four shots at the men in total. The Institute for Middle Eastern Understanding, a Palestinian advocacy organization, said that the victims were reported to have been speaking to each other in Arabic and were verbally harassed by the assailant before the attack, while local police say that the gunman did not say a word before he carried out the attack. The shooting came amid a rise in anti-Islamic and anti-semitic incidents reported around the United States since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7th.
The three victims were identified as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ahmed, who are juniors attending Brown University, Haverford College, and Trinity College respectively and graduated from Ramallah Friends School, a secondary school in the West Bank. Despite their injuries, all three men are expected to survive and recover. Numerous figures, including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and the presidents of the victims' respective colleges, have spoken out in sympathy for the young men and their families.
"It is shocking and deeply upsetting that that three young Palestinians were shot here in Burlington, VT. Hate has no place here, or anywhere. I look forward to a full investigation," Sanders said in a statement denouncing the shooting.
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It’s frustrating to see that so many of the headlines I see when glancing over the news are similar to this one: individuals getting shot, hurt, or even killed because of others’ hate for their assumed background. The attackers, such as the one in this incident, often know nothing about the victims’ lives, beliefs, or values—in other words, these assaults are based purely on speculation. Putting aside the fact that even if a person knew every detail about their target, shooting at them is a horrid, inexcusable act of violence, I think that these crimes are dangerous for the nation for a different reason: America is quickly breeding a culture of hate, and it is almost impossible to slow it down. How would we stop it? Educating the public? More serious consequences for offenders? Stricter gun control and such? Even with all of these enactments, there will always be someone out there whose motive to spread violence and hate will overpower their morally right thing to do. That’s why it’s such a big problem. Public messages of sympathy from high-profile figures aren't going to do anything to stop the attacks. It’s not going to subvert anything. As long as there is a war going on, there’s going to be backlash in the States, and that’s the grim reality of living in a nation with freedoms and liberties.
I am relieved to hear that they are expected to survive and recover. It is terrible to hear about any shooting, but especially in this case, attempting to kill people for their self-expression or presumed identity is heartbreaking. In a country where self-expression is meant to be a first amendment right, this type of shooting may deter people from freely wearing cultural attire and symbols of protest. Resorting to violence before conversation is overly dangerous in a modern society. America is meant to be a melting pot where people of different backgrounds and ideas can coexist, and I hope there will be serious punishment for the shooter and real reform to encourage a more tolerant environment towards people of different political and cultural backgrounds.
The increase in hate crimes as a result of the Israel-Hamas war is truly despicable. Similarly to all other hate crimes, the victims of this attack have nothing to do with the war occurring thousands of miles overseas. Despite this, people continue to shoot, stab, or otherwise kill innocent people who have done nothing whatsoever. In this instance, the victims of the hate crime were simply wearing scarfs that symbolized Palestinian solidarity and that is what led to a potentially life-changing decision made by one person who was too stupid to recognize the difference between a terrorist group and a group of people who are caught up in the middle of a devastating war. Even in a place like Vermont, people are not safe which speaks volumes to the state of America right now and its gun control legislation.
I think that this event demonstrates the need for stricter gun laws. It seems that Vermont does not restrict open carry and loaded guns in public. Furthermore, Vermont doesn't require permits to possess a gun. I think that these laws create leeway for unnecessary shootings, such as this one. Furthemore, it is ambiguous whether the shooting was planned or not. However, the law in Vermont allows for impulsive hate crimes to be committed. I am glad that the the victims are expected to recover and that the shooter was caught. I hope that this story inspires lawmakers to rethink the consequences of unrestricted gun use.
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_map/vt-gun-laws/
It sucks that history can repeat itself in terrible ways, the hate crimes taking place now remind me of the hate crimes against Muslims that took place after 9/11. I'm completely confused and baffled by what was going on in the gunman's head, like how he could possibly think he was justified in any way in shooting innocent people for something that's happening thousands of miles away. It's just straight up stupidity, not to mention that such a crime would put you in jail for a while. On another note, I do find it weird how that Palestinian organization you mentioned said the gunman verbally harassed them before he shot, but the police said that was false. In my eyes, I think the polices' word is true because they'd most definitely have had spoken directly to the victims and gotten important information from them to find the suspect in the first place. If that's true, it seems like that organization tried to enhance the intensity of the incident (not that it already was very intense, obviously) in order to increase sympathy perhaps, but except they'd be lying about it so it's not ok. Just a hypothesis though.
It is heartbreaking to see news like this. These innocent civilians should have never been targeted, and it is so devastating to know there are still people out there who are so violent to innocent people. This also brings up gun laws, again. This is another way that guns were used purely for harm, not for any good, and proves more need for changes. This man went to go approach the innocent people, and he had no reason to be holding a gun in public in the first place. Overall, this story is heartbreaking and an overall reminder of need for new gun laws.
No matter what your stance is on the Israel-Hamas war, I believe it should be universally agreed upon that innocent people should not be dragged into it. How awful it is for these three students who are just minding their own business to be targeted for something they have no part in. This is NOT the way to go around advocating your views. You are not helping anyone by killing innocent people. Protesting is fine, yes, as it's in the First Amendment; however, going so far as to try murdering is despicable. Hate crimes are a serious issue, and this type of situation has happened before and will continue to happen. I’m happy that these three are going to recover just fine, and I hope the shooter faces serious repercussions.
They are innocent college students and while I am glad that they are alive and they will survive this attack, there is no reason for them to have to go through this pain and suffering. It is heartbreaking to see innocent lives being derailed because of the Israel-Hamas War, there are no sides here, it's just the lives of innocent people who have the right to live peacefully and not be worried about being killed when they go out for a walk
As this story has the theme of something which has regrettably been commonly recurring, it serves as yet another reminder how cruel and illogical some people may be. People really have to start understanding that there are so many innocent people who have no direct connection to the Israel-Hamas War. Thankfully that they were all able to survive the horrid incident and have an expected recovery. Something else which I took more interest in was the fact that important figures openly spoke up about the shooting and the victims and their families. I respect the understanding how it is more important to represent the community and care for each other. This all shows that people aren't alone and that there will always be support for those who are wrongfully placed in dangerous situations.
I partially agree with Aidan, I am 100% thankful that these people who were merely supporting their country were able to fully recover, but I still have to disagree with you on one part of your statement. I don't think that this should have been the wakeup call for important figures to finally speak up as this Palestinean genocide in Gaza has been happening for over 17 years and consistent up until this ceasefire for about three months. The moment people were getting murdered, kidnapped, and held hostage should have been when figures in the spotlight should have spoken up and shown support. Additionally, I also agree with Mia, if people who were supporting their nation during a genocide can be shot without much struggle from the offender, stricter gun laws are ought to be called for. This casualty and trauma for these three innocent Palestineans could have easily been avoided if guns weren't as easily accessible. When will this terrible genocide end? I truly have no idea, but I hope it would be soon, so the people of both Israel and Palestine can live without constant fear.
I think this is a perfect example of why the US should focus on prioritizing gun control. If the states of the US share a common ground of, "hate has no place here," then how many more hate-driven violent acts need to occur for the message to come across? At this point, I've seen more incidents of guns being used for violence than I have seen guns being used for protection. Guns ARE violence, no matter what the scene is--they're meant to serve as a threat. Our government needs to understand that gun accessibility should not be as simple as it is! The requirements to own a gun do not limit violent and ill-minded people from purchasing a gun and using it to harm others. We've seen it in the significant amount of school shootings and we've seen it in hate crimes--there's no excuse here. As a country, we have to get proactive and take a genuine step into the right direction in order to make the US a safe place to live.
Seeing news like this is always so disheartening. This should not only be spreading awareness of the genuine anti-arab sentiment in America but of how bad this issue of gun control is. The perpetrator of this crime should never have been able to get his hands on a gun. Sadly, it is a reality that, for the most part, Americans have easy access to firearms. Things like these have happened before (the 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume in Plainfield), and it only makes me wonder how many more horrendous incidents like these need to happen before people begin making actual changes. These three men should not have had to suffer this horrifying and traumatizing event. Because of this, I don't doubt that millions of Muslim Americans live in fear of having the same fate. I am not only disgusted by acts like these happening in a country that prides itself on its freedom of religion and expression but also the fact that people are still treating Palestinians like the perpetrators of this genocide. Around 18,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since October 7th alone, with an estimated 10,000 of them being infants of children. And now, three men and one mother have wounded and one child dead in America. When will people wake up and realize that this is an issue that needs attention and action right now.
I hate how politics has infiltrated its way into violence and hatred. No matter which side you support, its universal that war is bad and innocent lives should not be in harms way. Hate has become a culture around the US with polarization of political parties destroying the sense of unity in our nation. In a nation which prioritizes free speech, there is a lot of hate for people presenting themselves to the world. From hate crimes like these to school shootings to mass shootings, hatred in this country mixed with limited gun control has lead to the unnecessary death of so many people. If more gun control was a factor in purchasing a gun, people with ill intentions or who have a history of uncontrolled outbursts would have a harder time acquiring a gun.
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