PHOTO: Scott Hayes of Framingham, left, is charged with shooting Caleb Gannon of Newton, right, at a pro-Israel rally Thursday night. Gannon is charged with assaulting Hayes. Photos from X and Instagram
On Thursday evening, a crowd of pro-Israel demonstrators gathered near the intersection of Washington and Harvard streets.
Caleb Gannon, 31, of Newton, started arguing with the demonstrators, ran across the street and tackled pro-Israel demonstrator Scott Hayes, 47, of Framingham, to the ground. Hayes then allegedly shot Gannon.
Hayes was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, and Gannon was taken to a nearby hospital. Gannon was later issued a summons for assault and battery.
A GoFundme campaign for the legal defense of Scott Hayes has raised more than $243,000 as of Monday afternoon, with more than 3,000 donations already made. It was started by an account named “YM-Fighting Anti-Semitism” from Marblehead, and the description of the fundraiser reads, in part:
“Scott Hayes is an American Iraq War Veteran, who was attacked at a pro-Israeli Protest, on September 12, 2024 in Newton, Massachusetts. As Scott was about to leave, a young man wearing a Palestinian flag pin started shouting from the other side of the street to Scott and other protests in the area. This person suddenly ran across the street, charged Scott, attacked him and tackled him to the ground. Scott was wrestling with him when a gun went off. As soon as Scott noticed his assailant was hurt he provided emergency medical treatment.”
According to the GoFundMe description, Hayes is not Jewish, but “he has been defending the Jewish people and its right for self determination and governance all across Boston, its surroundings and all around New England and the US.”
Crusades at home
Indeed, Hayes has made a name for himself as a pro-Israel agitator. His X (formerly Twitter) account, which he started last December, consists mostly of photos and videos of him traveling around Massachusetts confronting rallies and people he claims are anti-Israel or pro-Palestinian.
One post compares an overweight woman at a pro-Palestinian rally with Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
He has photos of a woman at a pro-Palestinian rally, with text calling her a “rabid self-hating Jew.”
Another shows a photo of Dallas Mavericks player Kyrie Irving, who has espoused antisemitic conspiracy theories, wearing a keffiyeh (a head scarf typically worn by Middle Eastern men) after the Mavericks lost to the Celtics in June with the text: “Just more proof that anyone who wears a keffiyeh is a natural born loser!”
One photo, posted on May 19, shows a gun with the text: “Hey Jew haters. Bring it.”
Gannon’s X account shows posts opposing Israel and calling for an end to United States, with one post from last week saying he was “so ready for the post-American world.”
One post, pinned to the top of his X feed, reads: “The United States Government is a rogue terrorist organization that does not represent its population. It must end. All police precincts, military bases, and government offices must be liquidated immediately, and all resources from them redirected back into their communities.”
Another post is a video of Gannon singing a song about disliking America.
An escalating fight
Since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack against Israel, as Israel has carried out military operations in Gaza in response, tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have spiked at home–especially in Newton, where it’s estimated that about a third of the city’s population is Jewish.
Newton police have reported a spike in antisemitic activity. Ribbons and photos of Israeli hostages have been vandalized and destroyed.
In May, a group of pro-Israel protesters disrupted a Palestinian art exhibit at the Newton Free Library.
Later that month, police arrested a Roslindale musician who allegedly drove to Newton and vandalized the Jewish Community Center of Greater Boston.
Last month, a group of pro-Israel protesters disrupted a Newton Teachers Association rally for state representative candidate and City Councilor Bill Humphrey, with some of the protesters screaming “Nazi” at teachers (even the Jewish teachers).
At the NTA rally, none of the protesters would give their names and it was unclear how many were from Newton. One woman said she was from Framingham.
Hayes is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and his next court date is set for November. Gannon has been summonsed for assault and battery as well.