The Vermont Hate Crime Fantasy Sweeping the Nation

Vermont’s political leaders just did something extraordinary - and dangerous. Two years after the Burlington shooting of three Palestinian students, prosecutors still say there is no evidence of a hate-crime motive. No targeting. No ideological motive. No basis for a hate-crime charge. But this week, Vermont’s entire federal delegation - Sanders, Welch, and Balint - marked the anniversary by declaring, as fact, that the students were shot “simply for being Palestinian,” and by introducing a Senate resolution claiming they were attacked "for wearing a keffiyeh and speaking Arabic.” There is zero evidence for this motive. Investigators didn’t find it. Prosecutors didn’t charge it. Eaton’s own online posts - pro-Palestinian, even pro-Hamas - contradict it. They want you to believe that just ten days after posting something supportive of Hamas - Eaton rampaged through Burlington's streets filled with racist loathing for people wearing a keffiyeh. It makes no sense. So why state it as truth? Because the narrative is politically useful, even if unsupported. And when elected officials publicly override their own justice system to tell a story that “feels right,” or is useful for them politically they corrode trust and inflame communities already under strain. This isn’t leadership. It’s cynical and partisan opportunism disguised as moral clarity. Vermonters deserved the truth. They got a narrative instead. Full investigation. Full evidence. Full article - link in bio