Jewish groups joins calls for hate crime probe into Vermont shooting of Palestinians

Jewish groups are joining growing calls denouncing the shooting of three men of Palestinian descent in Vermont and urging the attack be investigated as a possible hate crime.

Police are searching for the shooting suspect after the attack, which occurred at about 6:25 p.m. Saturday, Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said.

“At a time of rising incidents of identity-based hate all too often targeting the Muslim & Jewish communities in increasingly violent ways, we join in the call to law enforcement to investigate this as a possible hate crime,” the New England chapter of the Anti-Defamation League says on X.

The American Jewish Committee says via X it is “horrified” by the attack and urges “law enforcement to investigate this act as a possible hate crime.”

The Vermont-New Hampshire chapter of Jewish Voice For Peace, which has urged an end to the Israel-Hamas war, releases a statement saying it is “appalled by the shooting.”

“We are in solidarity with the students, their families and all those affected by this clear act of hate,” the organization says. “We are in solidarity with all Palestinian people in occupied Palestine, around the world, and here in Vermont — and we are committed to creating a Vermont that is safe and welcoming for all.”