An active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force has died after he set himself ablaze outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, in an act of protest against the war in Gaza.
The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, set himself on fire while declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide.” He died from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday.
Aaron Bushnell’s ‘extreme act of protest’
Bushnell introduced himself and then walked up to the embassy shortly before 1 p.m. on Sunday in a video he livestreamed on the video streaming platform Twitch. The video was later removed from the platform,
“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 colonizers, it’s not extreme at all,” he said. He then set his phone down and then doused himself in accelerant and ignited the flames. Standing in front of the gates of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, he lights himself on fire while yelling, “Free Palestine!” until he falls to the ground.
Police officers rushed to douse the flames with fire extinguishers as he collapsed. One pointed a gun at him while another could be heard shouting “I don’t need guns I need fire extinguishers.” Bushnell was then transported by DC fire and emergency services to a local hospital where he died, the police said. Local police are working with the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate the incident.
In December, a protester self-immolated outside an Israeli consulate building in Atlanta in an “extreme political protest” and sustained third-degree burns to the body. The Israeli embassies have been the focus of protests worldwide by pro-Palestinian demonstrators calling for a ceasefire to the Israeli military offensive in Gaza. The war in Gaza has killed at least 29,782 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children, and wounded some 70,000 people since October 2023.
Who was Aaron Bushnell?
Aaron Bushnelle’s death was first reported on social media by independent journalist Talia Jane with permission from the “loved ones of Aaron Bushnell.” An acquaintance named Errico who met Bushnell in 2022 was quoted in the tweet as saying: “Aaron is the kindest, gentlest, silliest little kid in the Air Force.”
Bushnell was actively pursuing a bachelor’s degree in software engineering from Western Governors University. He previously studied software development at Southern New Hampshire University and computer science at the University of Maryland Global Campus, according to his LinkedIn profile. The social network page said that he was most recently a DevOps engineer.
He had served with the US Air Force for nearly four years and was based in San Antonio, Texas. Bushnell described himself on the professional networking site as an “aspiring software engineer with a wide breadth of experience in web development” and “a talent and passion for solving complex problems with code.”
The U.S. Air Force confirmed that the man was a serviceman. In a statement Monday, the Air Force said, “The individual involved in yesterday’s incident succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night.” The Air Force said it would provide additional information a day after military officials complete notifying his next of kin.
Bushnell called a ‘Hero’ on social media but concerns also raised about self-immolation
On social media, many pro-Palestine supporters called Aaron Bushnell a “hero”, however, many others discourage the extreme act of protest, raising concerns about copycat acts by those feeling powerless.
“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,” wrote activist Aya Hijazi.
“Aaron Bushnell’s memory will be honored. His act is extreme like he described it. Yet, it is his noble message that matters. His sacrifice is now part of the sacrifices of the Palestinian people in its struggle for dignity,” wrote activist and author Dyab Abou Jahjah.
Many others, including Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and controversial Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King, have also voiced their respect for Bushnell. “Rest in power Aaron Bushnell. ‘I will no longer be complicit in genocide. Free Palestine!’ May his sacrifice deepen our commitment to stop genocide now,” Jill Stein posted.
Many others, however, raised concerns about self-immolation as a form of protest as it may trigger copycats, especially those suffering from mental illness. “I strongly oppose valorizing any form of suicide as a noble, principled, or legitimate form of political protest. People suffering mental illness deserve empathy and respect, but it is wildly irresponsible to praise them for using a political justification to take their own life,” said Slate writer Mark Joseph Stern.
