Donors have raised more than $250,000 as of Tuesday night for the legal defense of Scott Hayes, the alleged shooter in a violent altercation that took place at a pro-Israel protest in Newtonville on Thursday.
Video footage of the altercation shows Newton resident Caleb Gannon exchanging words with the protestors across Washington Street in Newtonville, then eventually charging across the street and tackling Hayes.
In the footage, the protestors attempt to subdue Gannon before he is shot.
Hayes said he will plead not guilty to charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on Friday. Gannon has not yet been charged with a crime, though District Attorney Marian Ryan said she applied for a criminal complaint against him for assault and battery.
Gannon was hospitalized but is expected to survive, according to Ryan.
Since the incident, Hayes’ story has reached a national audience and an outpouring of support through the GoFundMe page set up for his legal defense.
Yael Magen, the lawyer who represented him at his arraignment, said she set up the fundraiser because she believes Scott acted in self-defense.
“He was violently attacked from behind, his life was at risk, and he had no choice but to act in self-defense,” Magen said.
Among the thousands who donated, many agreed that the shooting was an act of self-defense.
“I saw the video,” wrote Maura Cousar, who donated $50. “His gun fired by accident in the chaos. Scott is being vilified by the media. I stand with Scott and I also Thank You for serving our country.”
But the outpouring of support hasn’t just been domestic.
“Support from Panama City, Panama,” wrote Gabriel Gavrilov, who donated $306. “Thank you for your service in Iraq. God Bless. Stay Strong.”
At the time of publication, the fund has more than 3,780 donors with an average donation of $67—though 20 individuals have contributed more than $1,000.
Steve Yanovsky, Republican candidate for one of Newton’s state representative seats, is among the donors to Hayes’ fund. He also advertises the donation link for Hayes on his campaign website’s landing page.
Yanovsky said it is unfair that Hayes was immediately charged with a crime while Gannon hasl yet to receive a criminal charge.
“We seem to have some kind of a double standard here,” Yanovsky said. “I felt that an arraignment like this requires a contribution, because there may be legal repercussions for a law-abiding citizen.”
One Newton resident, Susan Mirsky, said she doesn’t believe Hayes was acting in self-defense.
“That it was portrayed that Caleb was the aggressor and that Scott was just shooting him in self-defense made absolutely no sense,” Mirsky said.
Mirsky is a member of a Newton anti-war group called Sawa, which aims to “advocate for equality and justice for Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and inclusion for all,” according to its description on Substack.
Both Magen and Hayes belong to a Facebook group called “God Bless America and Israel,” a group that organizes “public counter-protests” in support of Israel in the Boston area.
“We believe in American exceptionalism, that America is a force for good in the world, and that Israel is the indigenous homeland of the Jewish People,” the description on the group’s page reads.
According to Mirsky, Hayes and “God Bless America and Israel” members regularly counter-protest at Sawa demonstrations and vigils for the victims of the war in Gaza.
Sana Fadel, another member of Sawa, said she is not surprised that violence involving members of “God Bless America and Israel” occurred, given her past experiences with the organization.
“It is upsetting, it’s devastating,” Fadel said. “It is not shocking, because that group has been going around threatening groups that have been calling for peace.”
When asked about the GoFundMe for Hayes, Fadel compared the support around Hayes to that of Kyle Rittenhouse, who was arrested for fatally shooting two people at a Wisconsin protest associated with Black Lives Matter in 2020 before being acquitted of all charges a year later.
“Kyle Rittenhouse got similar support after Kenosha,” Fadel said.
On Tuesday, several pro-Israel groups called for a travel and business boycott of Middlesex County, which includes the city of Newton, until the charges against Hayes were dropped—a tactic intended to place pressure on the district attorney.
Among these groups were Betar USA, Shields of David, and Magen Herut Canada.
Organizations including the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, Anti-Defamation League New England, and American Jewish Committee New England, pushed back on the call for a boycott.
“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,” the groups wrote in a joint statement.
Magen declined to comment on the Middlesex Country boycott, but said that Israelis have received that same treatment in the past.
“People have been boycotting, trying to boycott, Israel and Israelis for years,” Magen said.
