Once again, this time in Boulder, Colorado, a terrorist draping themselves in the Palestinian cause has taken to violence. Whatever one believes, violence for political ends has no place in a civilized society.
On Sunday, the Associated Press reports, “a man armed with a makeshift flamethrower and other incendiary devices launched a fiery attack on demonstrators in Colorado who were calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.”
The suspect, who was recorded shouting “Free Palestine,” has been identified as Egyptian-born Mohamed Sabry Soliman.
The gathering was organized by Run for Their Lives, a national organization which puts together walking and running events across the country which aims to raise and sustain awareness of the hostages held by the terrorist Hamas organization in Gaza.
“We are a local chapter of the global initiative Run For Their Lives,” organizers for the group in Boulder wrote on Facebook. “We do an 18 minute weekly walk to show international solidarity with the hostages taken from Israel during the 10/7 massacre, and still being held in Gaza. We will walk until they are all released.”
To radicals, this is apparently unacceptable.
According to the Denver Post, citing court documents, he arrived “armed with 18 Molotov cocktails and a backpack weed sprayer filled with gasoline that he planned to use to kill a group of demonstrators who regularly walk in front of the courthouse,” but thankfully only threw two of the Molotov cocktails.
In response to the attack, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, said, “As the Jewish community reels from the recent antisemitic murders in Washington, D.C., it is unfathomable that the community is facing another antisemitic attack here in Boulder, on the eve of the holiday of Shavuot. Several individuals were brutally attacked while peacefully drawing attention to the plight of hostages who have been held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for 604 days. Hate is unacceptable in our Colorado for all, and I condemn this act of terror. The suspect should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
As Gov. Polis said, this horrible attack followed the murders of two Israeli embassy staffers — Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim — by a leftist who likewise shouted “Free Palestine.” The suspect in that case, Elias Rodriguez, reportedly confessed to his crimes.
While there is certainly plenty of legitimate debate to have about the war in Gaza, this surge in antisemitic violence is deeply troubling. Taken together with the broader surge in political violence — the assassination attempts against President Trump last year, for example — this reflects the toxic turn in politics.
Intense disagreement and debate should never give rise to violence or threats of it. Those who cross that line attack not only their immediate victims but society as a whole.
For now, we again stand with the victims of terrorism and condemn the plague of antisemitism.
