Three Palestinian students were shot near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vermont. The shooting occurred around 6:25 p.m. near the intersection of Main and Maple Streets.
The victims were identified as Hisham Awartani, a student at Brown University, Tahseen Ahmed, a student at Trinity College, and Kinnan Abdalhamid, a student at Haverford College. Two of the victims were wearing keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves, and were speaking Arabic when they were attacked.
All three victims were transported to local hospitals for treatment. Awartani and Ahmed were both in stable condition, while Abdalhamid was in critical condition. The shooting is being investigated by the Burlington Police Department and the FBI. Investigators are looking into whether the shooting was a hate crime.
A suspect in the shooting, 48-year-old Jason J. Eaton, was arrested on Sunday, November 26, 2023. Eaton is being held without bail and is expected to be arraigned in court on Monday, November 27, 2023.
The shooting has sparked outrage and condemnation from the Palestinian community and from civil rights groups. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called for a "thorough and transparent investigation" into the shooting, and has urged authorities to consider the possibility of a hate crime.
The shooting has also raised concerns about the safety of Palestinian students in the United States. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has called on universities to "take additional steps to protect their Palestinian students and faculty."
The shooting is a reminder of the ongoing violence and discrimination faced by Palestinians around the world. It is important to remember that Palestinians are not only victims of violence, but also of a system of oppression that denies them their basic rights. We must stand in solidarity with Palestinians and work to create a world where they can live in peace and security.
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