Yesterday evening, pro-Israel demonstrators in Newton, Massachusetts were confronted by a man shouting at them from across the street. The man then suddenly charged the protesters and tackled one of them. However, the man who was tackled had a gun and shot the man who tackled him.
Today, Scott Hayes of Framingham, Massachusetts, appeared in court pleading not guilty to charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Hayes, who is not Jewish, was released on $5,000 bail and is due back in court in November. The shotgun victim, who has not been identified, is expected to survive and will eventually be charged with assault and battery for tackling Hayes.
Hayes' attorney Glen McKinlay argues that Hayes acted in self-defense. Indeed, had Hayes not been tackled there would be no need for him to use his weapon which he legally possesses. It is one thing for someone to express their contempt for pro-Israel protesters. It is quite another to violently confront them.
With that said, I have a bad feeling that the possibility of violence at pro-Israel demonstrations in this area will increase. It would not shock me the next time an anti-Israel agitator confronts pro-Israel demonstrators it will be with a gun, and that such a confrontation will result in deaths.
Then there is also the question of Hayes trial. Given the propensity of Palestinian protesters to show up everywhere, they will invariably show up at his proceeding. If Hayes is acquitted, his case is dismissed, or he is convicted but given a light sentence there is the chance that Palestinian protesters will escalate their behavior against Newton's Jewish community (which comprises nearly a third of the city's population) and non-Jews like Hayes who support Israel.
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