Warning: the following contains distressing content.
An active duty member of the United States Air Force tragically lost their life after an extreme act of protest outside the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C. on Sunday. The airman, identified as Aaron Bushnell, 25, from San Antonio, Texas, set himself on fire in an act of defiance against what he perceived as genocide in Gaza. Before taking this drastic step, Bushnell livestreamed his intentions on Twitch, expressing that he would no longer stand idly by while innocent lives are lost.
“I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I’m about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. Free Palestine,” declared Bushnell before immolating himself.
Wearing his military fatigues, he doused himself in a flammable substance and lit it on fire while shouting “Free Palestine!” before falling to the ground. Prompt action from US Secret Service officers at the embassy extinguished the flames and Bushnell was rushed to the hospital with critical, life-threatening injuries. However, tragically, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away.
A spokesperson for the Secret Service revealed that officers initially responded to the scene as they believed Bushnell was experiencing a possible medical or mental health emergency. In a viral video capturing the incident, an officer can be seen pointing what appeared to be a gun at Bushnell while the fire was being extinguished. The officers’ priority was to save his life rather than resort to force.
This is the second known incident of self-immolation in protest against Israeli actions. In December, an unidentified individual set themselves on fire outside the Consulate General of Israel in Atlanta, leaving behind a Palestinian flag.
Protests denouncing the ongoing violence in Gaza have surged following Israel’s military campaign against Hamas, which was launched after an attack on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people. The retaliatory response from Israel has taken the lives of nearly 30,000 Gazans, leaving the population in dire conditions with limited access to essential resources like food, water, shelter, and medical care.
