Back Selfverbranding van Aaron Bushnell Afrikaans التضحية بالنفس لآرون بوشنل Arabic অ্যারন বুশনেলের আত্মহনন Bengali/Bangla Autoimmolació d'Aaron Bushnell Catalan Sebeupálení Aarona Bushnella Czech Αυτοπυρπόληση του Άαρον Μπούσνελ Greek Autoinmolación de Aaron Bushnell Spanish خودسوزی آرون بوشنل Persian Auto-immolation d'Aaron Bushnell French Kone kai na Aaron Bushnell Hausa
| Part of the Israel–Hamas war protests in the United States | |
 Bushnell on fire in front of the Israeli embassy | |
| Date | February 25, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Location | Washington, D.C., United States |
| Coordinates | 38°56′32.9″N 77°04′04.4″W / 38.942472°N 77.067889°W |
| Type | Self-immolation |
| Motive | Opposition to United States support for the alleged Palestinian genocide |
| Deaths | Aaron Bushnell |
On February 25, 2024, Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old serviceman of the United States Air Force, died after setting himself on fire outside the front gate of the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C. Immediately before the act, which was live-streamed on Twitch, Bushnell said that he was protesting against "what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers" and declared that he "will no longer be complicit in genocide", after which he doused himself with a flammable liquid and set himself on fire.[1][2]
As he burned, Bushnell repeatedly shouted "Free Palestine!" After he collapsed onto the ground, two Secret Service officers attempted to extinguish the flames while a third covered for them with their weapon.[3][4][5] The Metropolitan Police Department also responded to assist the Secret Service. Bushnell was transported to a local hospital in critical condition and was declared dead in the evening.[6][7]
Bushnell's act was the second self-immolation protesting United States support for Israel in the Israel–Hamas war, which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians[8] and resulted in a major humanitarian crisis.[3][9] In December 2023, another protestor set herself on fire at the Israeli consulate in Atlanta.[3][9] Some viewed Bushnell's act as heroic and called him a martyr.[10][11] Others argued that Bushnell's suicide should not be praised or viewed as a legitimate form of political protest, warning about "copycats" who might imitate it.[10]
- ^ Assi, Seraj (February 26, 2024). "Aaron Bushnell Refused to Be Silent on the Horrors in Gaza". Jacobin. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ Pitofsky, Marina; Ortiz, Jorge L.; and Nguyen, Thao (February 25, 2024). "Air Force member in critical condition after setting himself on fire outside Israeli embassy in Washington". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c Kavi, Aishvarya (February 25, 2024). "Man Dies After Setting Himself on Fire Outside Israeli Embassy in Washington, Air Force Says". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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WaPo1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Who is Aaron Bushnell, US Air Force member sets himself on fire outside Israeli Embassy in Washington". The Economic Times. February 25, 2024. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ Davies, Emily; Hermann, Peter; Lamothe, Dan; Allam, Hannah (February 26, 2024). "Airman dies after setting himself on fire outside Israeli Embassy in D.C." The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
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