The Muslim Justice League announced it is holding a vigil for Caleb Gannon, the man who was shot in the stomach after he tackled a veteran at a peaceful pro-Israel protest on Thursday in Newton, Mass.
“Caleb, a lifelong Newton resident and a Jew committed to Palestinian liberation, was shot by a Zionist in Newton,” the group wrote. “Caleb confronted those defending genocide in his neighborhood.”
The group says that the vigil is for “all of our martyrs” and “all who resist.”
Gannon, sporting a Palestinian pin, ran through traffic and tackled 47-year-old Iraq War veteran Scott Hayes, who was carrying American and Israeli flags during a small protest. Gannon was shot by Hayes while on top of the veteran, a video obtained by The Daily Wire shows.
BREAKING: Anti-Israel man shot in stomach after charging through traffic to tackle a man at a pro-Israel demonstration outside Boston in Newton, Massachusetts.
Footage obtained exclusively by @KassyAkiva: pic.twitter.com/nsGN3MQVAO
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 13, 2024
The vigil will also honor Matt Nelson, a man who reportedly set himself on fire Wednesday across from the Israeli consulate and Chabad house in Boston. In a video of his self-immolation shared by anti-Israel group BDS Boston, Nelson says he is calling on the United States government to “stop supplying Israel with money and weapons it uses to imprison and murder innocent Palestinians.”
Nelson survived and was taken to the hospital for severe burn wounds, according to the Boston Herald.
“They both join generations of resistance to the violence of Zionism, from Palestine to Boston. Join us for a vigil in solidarity with those risking their lives to resist and for all of our martyrs.”
The vigil is planned for Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Boston Public Garden.
Hayes, of Framingham, was charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon and released on $5,000 bail on Friday from the Newton District Court. He is required to wear a GPS ankle monitor and abide by a curfew that allows him to work, as conditions of his release. Hayes, who pleaded not guilty, must also stay away from Newton and Gannon and possess no weapons, the judge told him in court.
At an arraignment attended by dozens of supporters, Hayes’s lawyer says the veteran was acting in self-defense. Hayes’ firearm was legally owned, but his license to carry has been suspended following his arrest, according to authorities.
In another video after the incident, Hayes was seen telling bystanders to call 911 and tending to Gannon’s wound. Gannon suffered life-threatening injuries but is expected to survive, according to a spokesperson for Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan.
Police applied for a criminal complaint against Gannon for assault and battery.
In another video, the man who fired the gun is seen providing medical care to the man who tackled him before first responders arrived. pic.twitter.com/wMtoowakr9
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 13, 2024
Gannon’s social media history shows radical views including calling for the destruction of the United States, refusing to condemn Hamas, and calling murdered American hostage in Gaza, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a terrorist who “got what he deserved.”
Caleb Gannon, the man who tackled Scott Hayes and was shot, has a X history of calling for the destruction of America and says he does not condemn Hamas. pic.twitter.com/t11GcY5eFv
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) September 13, 2024
“The United States government is a rogue terrorist organization that does not represent its population. It must end,” Gannon wrote on X in August.
Gannon’s now-suspended X profile featured a Palestinian flag and the hashtag “#ActuallyAutistic.”
In another tweet, he called his family “ghouls” for having different political views.
“I don’t condemn Hamas. I condemn my family,” Gannon wrote about the terrorist group that killed, raped or took hostage over 1,000 citizens from Israel on October 7.
Gannon also retweeted several posts from radical anti-Israel accounts.
“The correct response to zionists feeling unsafe on college campuses is to say ‘good, zionists should feel unsafe everywhere—no one who supports a genocidal ideology should ever feel safe from repercussions,’” reads one of the tweets Gannon reposted.
Caleb Gannon, the man who tackled Scott Hayes and was shot, retweeted a post saying Zionists should feel “unsafe everywhere.” pic.twitter.com/boQ7OM3BOH
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) September 13, 2024
Gannon’s father told police that his son is mentally unstable and possibly autistic, according to the Boston Globe.
Supporters of Hayes gathered at the place he was protesting during the incident with Gannon on Sunday.
More than $243,021 has been raised on a GoFundMe to assist with his legal fees as of Monday morning.
“We stand with Scott Hayes, who was defending himself after being attacked by a pro-Hamas maniac in Massachusetts,” The Republican Jewish Coalition posted on X.
In a statement on X, the Anti-Defamation League New England called it “concerning” that “charges were immediately filed prior to completion of the investigation.”
Hayes frequently attends protests with a group of Iranians, Israelis, and American Jews who show their support for Israel and call for the release of 101 hostages currently held by Hamas in Gaza.
