A man in US military fatigues set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC on Sunday, in protest of what he called a “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza.
The protestor was identified on Sunday by the independent journalist Talia Jane as Aaron Bushnell, 25, an active-duty service member of the US Air Force, who appeared from a public LinkedIn profile to work in the service’s IT.
Late Sunday night, Jane reported that Bushnell had succumbed to the wounds sustained in the self-immolation.
Loved ones of Aaron Bushnell, 25, reached out to me and gave me consent to post a blurred version of Bushnell’s protest today against genocide in Palestine.“Aaron is the kindest, gentlest, silliest little kid in the Air Force,” said Errico, who met Bushnell in 2022. https://t.co/oQFc5r5XFo pic.twitter.com/wpRKVb8KSW
— Talia Jane ❤️ (@taliaotg) February 26, 2024
A video posted by the journalist appeared to show Bushnell identifying himself before lighting himself ablaze.
“I am an active duty member of the US Air Force,” he says, “and I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people in Palestine have been experiencing at the hand of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all.
This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal,” he adds.
Air Force confirms protestor was active-duty member
The man then douses himself in what is presumably gasoline and lights himself on fire, shouting “Free Palestine!” as he goes up in flames. After almost a minute, several men respond to the incident, using fire extinguishers to attempt to put out the blaze.
The Washington, DC fire department responded to the incident at 12:58PM, it later confirmed on X, writing that a man was transferred to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after setting himself on fire outside the embassy.
The Air Force did not confirm Bushnell’s specific identity but did tell several news outlets that the protester was, in fact, an active-duty Air Force service member.
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