PHOTO: Scott Hayes of Framingham is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after he shot Caleb Gannon of Newton during a fight at a pro-Israel rally on Sept. 12. Photo from Hayes’s X account
Three pro-Israel organizations are calling for a boycott of Newton after a pro-Israel demonstrator was arrested for shooting a man who attacked him at a rally last week.
Betar USA—the United States branch of the worldwide Zionist movement Betar, started in the 1920s—along with Shields of David and Magen Herut Canada, are asking supporters to avoid traveling to, or doing business in, Newton and Middlesex County to pressure District Attorney Marian Ryan’s office to drop charges against the shooter.
“We urge everyone to avoid visiting Middlesex County, including Newton, until the charges against Scott Hayes, an Iraq War veteran who acted in self-defense against a Hamas supporter, are dropped,” Betar USA posted on its Instagram page Monday.
On Thursday, Hayes, a 47-year-old Framingham man, shot 31-year-old Caleb Gannon of Newton in the abdomen after Gannon attacked him at a pro-Israel rally at the corner of Washington and Harvard streets in Newtonville.
Hayes is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Gannon, who was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive, has been summonsed for assault and battery as well.
NBC10, which first reported the story of the boycott, spoke with Betar USA Executive Director Alex Minn, who doubled down on targeting Newton’s businesses.
“If you are re conducting business with a Newton address, you will not have success,” Minn said. “You are boycotted.”
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller issued a statement calling for calm and opposing a boycott.
“The small businesses in Newton are not an appropriate target for those concerned with the charges filed in connection with this incident, nor do they deserve to be harmed,” Fuller wrote.
Charles River Regional Chamber President Gree Reibman also spoke out against any boycott of the region’s businesses.
“No Newton businesses were involved with this incident in any way, and I don’t understand what this boycott seeks to accomplish, except to sow division in our already hurting community and unjustly punish our employers and employees,” Reibman said. “The charges in this case came from the Middlesex District Attorney, not our restaurants and merchants. We should allow any investigation and, ultimately, the justice system to reach an appropriate and fair conclusion.”
The tension is palpable from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict debate. Support is also growing for Gannon.
The Boston-based Muslim Justice League is planning to hold a vigil in Newton in support of Gannon, but they haven’t announced a date for that yet.
The vigil, according to an Instagram post by the organization, will honor Gannon and Matt Nelson, a pro-Palestinian protester who lit himself on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Boston.
“Both risked their lives and remain in serious condition,” the Instagram, post reads.
UPDATE, Sept. 19: Three local and regional Jewish organizations—the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, ADL New England and AJC New England—have issued a joint statement opposing the proposed boycott.
“We are aware of calls to boycott Newton businesses—a call to action raised by a group or groups with no apparent relationship to Newton,” the statement reads in part. “We unequivocally reject this tactic, which seeks to place ‘blame’ or ‘consequences’ on local businesses that are not responsible for either the incident or its prosecution. Moreover, use of this tactic implicitly suggests that our criminal justice system is not capable of delivering justice through its time-honored processes.
“We instead call on the community to join us in re-establishing dialogue and conversation, remembering the hostages still held in Gaza, and calling for an end to senseless violence,” the statement continues.
Similarly, State Sen. Cynthia Creme posted a message on X calling for healing instead of boycotts.
“We must now let the legal process go forward through a fast, fact-driven and transparent investigation,” Creem posted on X. “Boycotts will not mend division. Punishing local Newton businesses for events they were not involved with is not the solution. I hope you will continue to support local businesses as I plan to.
“How we heal as a community will be determined by our decision to choose civility, rationality and respect for one another above all else.” Creem’s statement continues. “I am hopeful our community will come together for more peaceful times ahead.”