The boycott calls center on the criminal charge against Scott Hayes, who allegedly shot a man who tackled him at a pro-Israel demonstration in Newton.
Three prominent Greater Boston Jewish organizations say they “unequivocally reject” calls to boycott businesses in Newton, where a pro-Israel demonstrator was arrested last week for allegedly shooting a protester who tackled him to the ground.
The proposed boycott “seeks to place ‘blame’ or ‘consequences’ on local businesses that are not responsible for either the incident or its prosecution,” the Anti-Defamation League of New England, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, and the American Jewish Committee of New England said in a joint statement Tuesday.
Several pro-Israel groups have urged a business and travel boycott of Newton and surrounding Middlesex County until prosecutors agree to drop the criminal charge against Framingham resident Scott Hayes, 47.
Authorities allege Hayes shot a 31-year-old Newton man — later identified as Caleb Gannon — after Gannon ran across the street and tackled Hayes during a pro-Israel rally in Newtonville last Thursday. In a viral video that appeared to capture part of the incident, Gannon can be heard accusing the demonstrators of defending genocide before he charged across the street.