Brown University students hold vigil for fellow student shot in Vermont

At a vigil Monday for a Palestinian Brown University student shot in Vermont, hundreds of students shouted down the school’s president and demanded the university divest from investments that support Israel.

Hisham Awartani, a junior at Brown, was one of three Palestinian young men shot at about 6:25 p.m. Saturday near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington. Authorities have said the incident may have been a hate crime.

Brown President Christina Paxson said at the vigil that the shooting was an “irrational and hateful act of violence.”

“Although we don’t know the details yet, it is horrific that the mere fact that Hisham and his friends were simply being who they are, proud Palestinians, wearing keffiyehs, speaking in Arabic, that may be what prompted the shooting,” she added. “Sadly, we can’t control what happens around the world and across the country. We’re powerless to do everything we’d like to do. But there’s so much that we are doing and continue to do.”

Students confront university president

Students – many wearing keffiyehs – began shouting at Paxson to divest from Israel. They held signs that said, “Brown funds the hate that made this possible” and held up hands wearing surgical gloves covered in red paint.

“This is how you want to honor your friend? I’m sorry,” she said, and left the podium to chants of “Shame! Shame! Shame!”

Paxson returned to the podium and tried to continue, but students shouted her down again.

Suspect arrested and arraigned

On Sunday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested a suspect: Jason J. Eaton, 48, who occupied an apartment in front of the place where the shooting occurred.

Eaton pleaded not guilty to three charges of attempted second-degree murder on Monday, according to the Burlington Free Press. 

Police have suggested that the shooting may have been a hate crime. Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said, "In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime,” but added, “The fact is that we don't yet know as much as we want to right now. I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less."

Besides Awartani, the other victims were Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ahmad. The three 20-year-old men are still in the University of Vermont Medical Center’s ICU, the Free Press reported.

Awartani described at vigil as strong student, advocate for Palestine

Brown Palestinian Studies Prof. Beshara Doumani, who had visited Awartani, read a text message from him. In it, Awartani said he was “but one casualty in this much wider conflict” and “a proud member of a people being oppressed.”

Brown Junior Aboud Ashhab, who said he was a classmate of the victims at the Ramallah Friends School in the West Bank, said Awartani is a math genius who loves nature and archaeology.

Awartani also pushed for Palestinian students to be protected in meetings with university administrators, but his concerns “fell on deaf ears,” Ashhab said.

Brown can’t claim to support Palestinian students and also “invest in the genocide of our people back home,” he said.

Vigil ends with poem about resilience, protest

At the end of the official part of the vigil, Brown Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson read a prayer entitled “A Rose Shoulders Up” by Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha. “Don’t ever be surprised to see a rose shoulder up among the ruins of a house,” she read. “This is how we survive.”

She prayed for healing for the victims and for communities “beset by violence.” Then, she read the poem again and concluded the vigil.

As Paxson left, students chanted: “CPax, CPax, you can’t hide! You’re supporting genocide!”

Paxson went into University Hall, an administration building. Students followed her to the front of the building and continued shouting: “Not another nickel, not another dime. No more money for Israel’s crimes” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

The Anti-Defamation League has called the “river to the sea” phrase antisemitic. Some Jewish Brown students have also told The Providence Journal that the school has a problem with antisemitism.

Brown took the unusual step of telling media organizations not to cover the event or interview students on the campus during the vigil.

“The vigil is intended as a space where our students, faculty and staff can have the comfort of community with hopes of encouraging healing,” the university said in an unsigned media relations email. “It’s considered a private university event for this reason.”

The university did not enforce this request; reporters from The Providence Journal, The Boston Globe and The Public’s Radio covered the event.

Noble Brigham is a senior journalism student at Brown. Email him at noble_brigham@brown.edu. 

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Brown University holds vigil for Palestinian student shot in Burlington