Biden condemns shooting of Palestinian students: ‘No place for violence or hate in America’

President Biden on Monday condemned the shooting in Burlington, Vt., that seriously injured three Palestinian college students visiting the city for Thanksgiving.

“They were simply spending Thanksgiving gathered with family and loved ones,” Biden said in a statement regarding the Saturday shooting.

“While we are waiting for more facts, we know this: there is absolutely no place for violence or hate in America. Period. No person should worry about being shot at while going about their daily lives. And far too many Americans know a family member injured or killed as a result of gun violence. We cannot and we will not accept that.”

Federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives authorities arrested Jason J. Eaton, 48, in the area of the shooting around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Burlington Police Department.

Eaton has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted second-degree murder. His next court hearing hasn’t been scheduled as he remains behind bars.

Authorities have said two of the victims, all of whom are 20 years old, were wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyehs at the time of the shooting.

The three young men are Hisham Awartani, who is a student at Brown University; Kinnan Abdalhamid, a student at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, and Tahseen Ali Ahmed, who attends Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

Two of the three were reportedly in stable condition as of Sunday, and one sustained serious injuries. The mother of Awartani told NPR that her son may lose the use of his legs because of his injuries.

Anti-Palestinian and antisemitic hate has escalated in the month-and-a-half since war broke out between Israel and Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger (D) told reporters Monday that the shooting “was one of the most shocking and disturbing events in this city’s history.” He said he had spoken with Biden before addressing the media.

“We are very fortunate to have dedicated public servants working in the federal government who are committed to holding shooters accountable for gun violence, despite the enormous barriers and the law and regulations that they face in trying to conduct that mission,” Weinberger said.

“Our Administration will provide any additional federal resources needed to assist in the investigation,” Biden said, acknowledging their conversation.