‘Free Palestine!’ Aaron Bushnell, US Air Force member dead after setting self on fire in front of Israeli Embassy, refuses to be complicit in ongoing genocide of Gaza civilians following Israel’s response to October 7 Hamas attack.
In vain? An active duty member of the U.S. Air Force has died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, on Sunday. The man said he was engaging in an ‘extreme’ act of protest against Israel invading Gaza after the Hamas terrorist attack of Oct. 7, 2023 which led to the deaths of 1200 civilians and the kidnapping of 253.
At approximately 1:00 p.m., the Metropolitan Police Department in a release, stated responding to the 3500 block of International Drive, NW, to ‘assist the United States Secret Service after an individual set themselves on fire in front of an embassy in the block.’
A jarring photo of the man, Aaron Bushnell, 25, setting himself on fire was posted on the X. The Air Force man is seen wearing fatigues and covered in flames in live-streamed video of the man proceeding to set himself ablaze. A follow up post on X stated Bushnell passing away as the result of injuries he sustained in the act of protest.
A hero and a martyr. May his death not be in vain. May it be a wake up call where we see the end of the genocide and the start of a free Palestine.
RIP Aaron Bushnell.
— Aya Hijazi آية حجازي 🇵🇸 (@ItsAyaHijazi) February 26, 2024
‘I will no longer be complicit in genocide.’
Video of Bushnell captured at the scene, starts with the man identifying himself as an active duty member of the U.S. Air Force and saying, ‘I will no longer be complicit in genocide.’
Bushnell says that he is ‘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, this is not extreme at all.’
‘This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal,’ he adds.
Bushnell is seen pouring liquid on his body and reaching for a lighter before lighting himself on fire. An unidentified law enforcement or security officers is heard asking off-screen, ‘Can I help you?’ After setting himself aflame, he repeatedly shouted “Free Palestine.”
Police officers rush to put out the flames engulfing Bushnell.
The man was taken to a local hospital and was said to be in critical condition.
Rose Riley, a spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force, told CNN, ‘I can confirm an active duty Airman was involved in today’s incident.’
The Metropolitan Police Department, Secret Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the self-immolation incident.
U.S Air Force man had reached out to media prior to self immolation
Self-immolation as a form of protest has a long history, in particular in Asia, where Buddhist monks in Vietnam and Tibet have used the method to protest religious persecution by non-Buddhist governments.
Bushnell’s LinkedIn account indicates that he has been in the Air Force since 2020, working as a client systems technician in IT management and as a DevOps engineer. He was pursuing a Bachelors of Science in software engineering at Southern New Hampshire University. He was also looking for SkillBridge programs to transfer his skills into the software engineering career field. Bushnell, was based in San Antonio, Texas.
Before his planned self-immolation, Bushnell reportedly sent a message to media outlets stating, ‘Today, I am planning to engage in an extreme act of protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people.’ He also reportedly live-streamed the act on Twitch, which has since removed the video for guideline violations.
In December, a protester set herself on fire outside the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta, Georgia.
A report from over 7 days ago told of over 29,000 individuals in Gaza being killed at the hands of Israel, with around two-thirds of them women and children., the territory’s Health Ministry stated.
Why did he do it?
Four major news outlets have almost the exact same headline for the self-immolation of 25-year old Aaron Bushnell. Not one of them mentions the words “Gaza” or “genocide,” the reason for Aaron’s protest, or the word “Palestine,” his last words spoken. pic.twitter.com/MdRCFsptzD
— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) February 26, 2024
And end in sight of conflict in Gaza?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive until ‘total victory’ is ensured and ‘Hamas is wiped out.’ To date a total of 253 hostages seized during the October 7 raid have yet to be returned.
The Health Ministry is part of the Hamas-run government in Gaza but maintains detailed records of casualties. Its figures from previous wars in Gaza have largely matched those of U.N. agencies, independent experts and Israel’s own tallies.
The United States, Israel’s top ally, says it is still working with mediators Egypt and Qatar to try to broker another cease-fire and hostage release agreement. A temporary ceasefire in November saw 105 civilians released from Hamas captivity, including 81 Israelis, 23 Thai nationals, and one Filipino.
To date no permanent ceasefire has yet to result amid ongoing demonstrations all over the world in which civilians have protested what many claim is the ongoing over-reach and subjugation of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents who have been bombed out of their homes and stranded without electricity, food or water.
Notes the Jerusalem Post: ‘Allegations of genocide have followed Israel’s military response to the October 7 attack since the early days of the country’s war against Hamas, most notably with South Africa’s complaint to the International Court of Justice alleging that Israel was in violation of the genocide convention and asking that the court demand Israel cease military action in Gaza.
The court, without ruling on the merits, determined that the case was plausible ‘on its face,’ meaning that it could not be dismissed out of hand. The court declined to demand that Israel cease fighting, however, and instead issued only a series of ‘provisional measures’ directing Israel to comply with its existing obligations under international law and to report back to the court about its doing so.’
The conflict now threatens to escalate and involve neighboring Arab states.
