Man sets self ablaze in front of Israeli Embassy
February 26, 2024
Fausiat Salako-Sanni
A man set himself ablaze outside Israel’s embassy in Washington, DC, on Sunday afternoon in an apparent act of protest.
The person was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries.
No one else was harmed in the incident, Israel’s foreign ministry told The Times of Israel.
The demonstrator was not immediately identified.
First responders arrived on the scene around 1 p.m. (1800 GMT), according to DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
Secret Service members extinguished the blaze and the man was rushed to a local hospital.
Investigators searched the man’s vehicle “as a precaution,’’ a Secret Service spokesperson told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Several first responders were seen outside the embassy.
The man identified as Aaron Bushnell, was reported to be an active-duty member of the US Air Force, set himself on fire Sunday outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C, to protest against the “genocide” in Gaza. He was known for “his kindness, gentleness, thoughtfulness,” according to reports.
“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. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal,” 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell said prior to setting himself on fire.
Footage showing the protest and the moment when Bushnell set himself on fire went viral on social media.
Bushnell passed away after succumbing to his injuries.
Multiple reports citing the live streaming of the incident said the man shouted “Free Palestine” as he was burning.
Aaron Bushnell is ‘kindest, gentlest, silliest little kid in Air Force’ and ‘one of the most principled comrades’ his friends ever known, according to information obtained by US-based reporter
This is the second persons setting themselves on fire outside an Israeli building in the US during Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza.
A woman on Dec. 1 self-immolated outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta (in the U.S. state of Georgia).
One security guard there was injured as he tried to stop her from harming herself.
A Palestinian flag was reportedly found on the ground.
SOURCE: The Glitters