Veterans Flood Iraqi Restaurant To Show Support After Rock Thrown Through Its Window

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/01/12/402852/veterans-flood-iraqi-restaurant-to-show-support-after-rock-thrown-through-its-window/

By Zaid Jilani on Jan 12, 2012 at 1:25 pm

Last week, a man threw a 20-pound rock through a window of an Iraqi restaurant in Lowell, Massachussetts — with the motivation behind the act of vandalism still remaining unclear. The Lowell Sun reports that the owner of the restaurant, Leyla Al-Zubaydi, was driven “to tears, and [it] prompted her to question whether the family should close the restaurant.”

But this week, a group of military veterans changed her mind with an act of solidarity. Patrick Scanlon, a Vietnam veteran and a coordinator for Veterans for Peace, organized so many veterans and other supporters to come and patronize the restaurant that they ended up filling every seat — twice. “For someone to come and throw a rock through this window, in what we consider a hate crime, is totally unacceptable,” said veteran Pat Scanlon. The Lowell Sun captured video of the outpouring of support for the restaurant. Watch it: [see link above for video]

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