A man charged with assault for allegedly tackling a pro-Israel demonstrator has called for the destruction of the United States and refused to condemn Hamas, a review of his social media history reveals.
Caleb Gannon, 31, was charged with assault after The Daily Wire released an exclusive video that shows him charging across a street and tackling Scott Hayes, pro-Israel demonstrator, in Newton, Massachusetts. Gannon knocked Hayes to the ground and attacked him before Hayes, whose lawyers say that he acted in self-defense, shot him in the stomach. Hayes immediately tended to Gannon until emergency workers arrived.
At first, it was unclear why Gannon chose to charge the small, peaceful stand-in. But a review of Gannon’s social media activity reveals that he has called for the complete destruction of the United States and has refused to condemn Hamas, the Islamic terrorist organization behind the October 7th terror attack on Israel.
“The United States government is a rogue terrorist organization that does not represent its population. It must end,” Gannon, who has been charged with assault and battery, wrote in one of his extreme posts on X. Gannon’s X profile also features a Palestinian flag and the hashtag “#ActuallyAutistic.”
“All police precincts, military bases, and government offices must be liquidated immediately, and all resources from them redirected back into their communities,” he went on to say in the post pinned to the top of his profile.
Gannon, who says that he uses the pronouns “he/they/any,” also expressed support for Hamas and refused to condemn them.
“No, I don’t condemn Hamas,” he wrote, instead saying, “I condemn my family,” because they have been unwilling to “recognize the blatant genocide that’s been occurring for months in Palestine.”
Caleb Gannon, the man who tackled Scott Hayes and was shot, has a X history of calling for the destruction of America and says he does not condemn Hamas. pic.twitter.com/t11GcY5eFv
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) September 13, 2024
Gannon also reposted an X post from an account named “trans judeo-bolshevik,” who wrote, “the correct response to zionists feeling unsafe on college campuses is to say ‘good, zionists should feel unsafe everywhere—no one who supports a genocidal ideology should ever feel safe from repercussions.’”
Hayes was charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon after he defended himself with a firearm. Hayes was released from court on a $5,000 bail and now must wear a GPS monitor and abide by a curfew.
Anti-Defamation League New England said in a statement on X that it was “concerning” that “charges were immediately filed prior to completion of the investigation” into Hayes. Supporters have raised nearly $168,000 for Hayes’ legal defense on GoFundMe.
