'Islamophobia' claims regarding shooting of Palestinian trio in doubt after suspect revealed to be Hamas apologist

Three Palestinian students were shot on Nov. 25 in Burlington, Vermont. Democrats and other leftists took a brief pause from their criticism of Israel's fight against terrorism to suggest so-called Islamophobia was a factor in the non-fatal shootings.

It appears, however, that the suspect in the shootings — an incident that has fallen off the liberal media's radar in the weeks since — is a mentally-compromised individual who defended Palestinians and Hamas in recent months.

The incident

20-year-old students Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmad went out for a stroll during Thanksgiving break while visiting friends in Burlington. VTDigger indicated two of the victims were wearing Palestinian scarves at the time of the shooting.

Jason James Eaton, 48, stepped off a porch on North Prospect Street around 6:30 p.m. and confronted the trio, according to police. Eaton then allegedly opened fire without uttering a word.

All three victims, two of whom are U.S. citizens, were wounded but ultimately survived.

Eaton was arrested and charged with three counts of attempted second-degree murder and may yet face a hate crime enhancement. His next hearing is set for March 8.

The response

"In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime," said Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad.

"Although we do not yet have evidence to support a hate crime enhancement, there is no question this was a hateful act," said Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George.

The victims' families released a statement urging law enforcement to treat the shooting as a "hate crime."

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee rushed out a statement suggesting it had "reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab."

ADC national executive director Abed Ayoub said, "The surge in anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment we are experiencing is unprecedented, and this is another example of that hate turning violent."

President Joe Biden said in response to the shootings that "there is absolutely no place for violence or hate in America."

Vice President Kamala Harris wrote in a statement, "We know that far too many people live with the fear that they could be targeted and attacked based on their beliefs or who they are."

Democratic Sen. Peter Welch (Vt.) stressed, "We do not tolerate hate or Islamophobia in Vermont."

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said, "It is shocking and deeply upsetting that three young Palestinians were shot here in Burlington, Vermont. Hate has no place here, or anywhere."

Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman said at a subsequent rally held by various anti-Israel groups, "I think it's hard not to see the attempted murder of three young Palestinians wearing the Palestinian keffiyehs, the scarf, at a time when we're seeing increased attacks throughout the U.S.," reported Vermont Public.

Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) pushed the phobia narrative in Washington and wrote on X, "Dehumanizing, Islamophobic, anti-Arab rhetoric has violent consequences. For Hisham, Kinnan, Tahseen, and for all Palestinian Americans, we need to make it crystal clear that we stand against this kind of hate and bigotry."

Not so fast

Contrary to ceasefire leftists' initial suspicions, the suspected shooter is actually a fellow traveler.

Although Eaton's X account has been set to private, Seven Days, an independent Vermont paper, obtained a trove of the suspect's posts from a follower on the platform who asked to remain anonymous.

Eaton, reportedly fired from his job with a financial services company just weeks before the shooting, wrote in response to Rep. Balint's call for a ceasefire, "What if someone occupied your country? Wouldn't you fight them?"

"Brittan [sic] wouldn't let ships with food sent by other countries into Ireland during the famine. My people starved," added Eaton.

Just weeks after the Oct. 7 terror attacks on Israel, Eaton wrote, "the notion that Hamas is 'evil' for defending their state from occupation is absurd. They are owed a state. Pay up."

An archival snapshot of Eaton's X account from 2022 shows him engaging with posts by Sen. Welch and the Libertarian Party.

The bio for Eaton's X account reads, "Radical citizen pa-trolling demockracy and crapitalism for oathcreepers." The banner is captioned, "Libertarians want trans furrys to be able to protect their cannabis farms with unregistered machine guns."

Seven Days highlighted how Eaton was named in 37 reports made to police agencies in Onondaga County between April 2007 and November 2021. However, Lt. Matthew Malinowski, a Syracuse police spokesman indicated there did not appear to be a "big history or anything that's racially motivated."

Mary Reed, his mother, told the Daily Beast, "Jason has had a lot of struggles in his life but he is such a kind and loving person."

Reed indicated her son suffered from depression and other mental health issues but had been "in such a good mood" hours before the shooting.

A police report concerning a grievance from one of Eaton's former romantic partners similarly suggested Eaton had a "history of mental illness," reported Seven Days. Eaton's estranged partner corroborated Reed's sense that he was neither racist nor hateful.

Dick deGraffe, a New York farmer, told Insider that the "progressive" Eaton he had known for 25 years had never evidenced any signs of extremism, racism, or Islamophobia.

H/T Townhall

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