"Free Palestine" — US Airman Sets Himself On Fire Outside Israeli Embassy In Washington
As the airman lay dying on the ground, engulfed by flames, officers from the US Secret Service aggressively ordered him to get "on the ground" and pointed a gun at him.
By Sadho Ram — 27 Feb 2024, 11:53 AM
A 25-year-old US airman has died after committing an act of self-immolation outside the front gate of the Embassy of Israel in Washington, in an act of protest against the genocide of Palestinians
Before setting himself on fire on Sunday, 25 February, the man, identified as Aaron Bushnell, cited his opposition to the US support for Israel's act of genocide in Gaza as the reason for his "extreme" protest.
In a video, Bushnell said he was protesting "what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonisers" and declared that he "will no longer be complicit in genocide".
He then doused himself with flammable liquid and lit himself on fire.
As he burned, Bushnell was heard shouting "Free Palestine!"
As Bushnell lay dying on the ground, engulfed by flames, officers from the US Secret Service aggressively ordered him to get "on the ground" and pointed a gun at him.
In the background of the video, which was aired live on the streaming site Twitch, another agent was heard shouting in frustration that he needed fire extinguishers, not guns.
Eventually, other agents arrived with fire extinguishers and put out the blaze. But by that time, it was too late for Bushnell, who was pronounced dead several hours later at a hospital, reported the BBC.
Bushnell had sent a message to media outlets before his planned self-immolation, in which he wrote, "Today, I am planning to engage in an extreme act of protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people"
On the day of the self-immolation, Bushnell approached the Israeli Embassy in Washington, where he began filming himself while holding what appeared to be a water bottle with no lid.
According to media reports, he had earlier created a Twitch account, under the username "LillyAnarKitty", with a Palestine flag as his profile banner. In the caption, he wrote, "Free Palestine".
As he livestreamed and before setting himself ablaze, Bushnell said, "I am an active duty member of the United States Air Force. 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 have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonisers — it's not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal."
While Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick S Ryder called Bushnell's act a "tragic event”, he reiterated that the US support for Israel is "ironclad"
According to Ryder, Washington is still committed to the goals it had set out at the start of the war: supporting Israel's "right to defend itself", releasing Israeli captives, and preventing the conflict from spreading, reported Al Jazeera.
