CheckYourHate.com
CASEY GOONAN
Casey Goonan may become the prime example of how real the connection is between violent rhetoric and actual violence.
Goonan faces federal charges related to a string of arson attacks, including one in which Molotov cocktails were used to torch a University of California police cruiser.
“Goonan’s alleged arson spree of a UC Berkeley Police Department vehicle, a construction site, a brush area near a library, and a building was described by the coalition [Columbia University Apartheid Divest] as a ‘rational action of targeting state infrastructure’ in response to US support for Israel’s military operations in Gaza,” according to the Jerusalem Post.
While no one has taken credit for the attacks or claimed they were in support of Gaza, Goonan has gained considerable support from activist groups. Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) and National Students for Justice in Palestine have cited Goonan’s alleged actions as support for their cause.
Goonan was identified following the police cruiser incident “‘in part because Goonan allegedly returned to the scene to grab pictures of the damage for a blog post,’ according to the complaint against Goonan,” Berkeleyside reported.
An anonymous letter from the group Student Intifada sent to Abolition Media later took credit for the act:
“This act was done in retaliation against UCPD, for their attack on students yesterday on a different campus and to retaliate against the University of California for its support for the zionist israel settler colony. More specifically – this attempt to torch a police car in front of the university was in solidarity with our Palestinian siblings assaulted by the zionist state in Rafah.”
It is unconfirmed whether Goonan penned that letter, but the alleged arsons have been claimed and amplified by the violent, antisemitic parts of the pro-Palestine movement. A post from group Student Intifada following another one of the firebombs said:
“NOT SURE WHAT BUILDING IT EVEN WAS. HONESTLY DONT REALLY CARE. EVERY SINGLE BUILDING ON THE UC BERKELEY CAMPUS DESERVES TO BE INCINERATED FOLLOWING THE UC SYSTEM’S TREATMENT OF STUDENT PROTESTORS. LAST NIGHT THEY ATTACKED A YOUNG WOMAN STUDENT WHO WAS SPEAKING HER MIND ON A MEGAPHONE. SO WE UNLOADED A FIREBOMB ON THE SIDE OF A CAMPUS BUILDING. THE FLAME WAS BIG AND SPREAD ACROSS THE TREES AND BUSHES ON THE SIDE OF A BUILDING.”
The arson attacks Goonan has been charged with and the violent protests are now inextricably linked, regardless of whether Goonan comes forward. Goonan’s attorney, in comments on the federal investigation, did confirm that Goonan’s political beliefs are in line with the protesters.
“It is an investigation focused on Mr. Goonan’s political beliefs in a free Palestine and against the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” Goonan’s attorney, Jeff Wozniak, said in a statement. “The search warrant specifically sought ‘documents related to the conflict between Israel and Palestine,’ illustrating that this is an investigation to place blame on Mr. Goonan because of his opposition to genocide and demand for a free Palestine.”