Airman Dies Lighting Himself on Fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C.

27-02-2024

Júlia Barreto Reis

International Justice Team Researcher, 

Global Human Rights Defence

Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old member of the United States Air Force, wearing his military uniform, set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C. last Sunday (February 25th, 2024). This act, which cost him his life, was a form of protest against the violence occurring in the Gaza Strip.

In a live broadcast, Bushnell referred to the Israeli attack on Gaza as "genocide" and stated that what he was doing was not as extreme as the suffering of the Palestinian people. He then set his body on fire and, engulfed in flames, shouted "Free Palestine."

The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to a call about a person on fire outside the embassy just before 1pm on Sunday. When the firefighters arrived, the flames had already been extinguished by members of the Secret Service. Bushnell was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later died.

On the Sunday morning preceding his protest, Bushnell had posted on his Facebook page, questioning what many would do if they were alive during periods of slavery, apartheid, or genocide. According to him, people would already be doing what they wonder about.

Aaron Bushnell's protest recalls the act of Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old Tunisian fruit and vegetable vendor who also set himself on fire after being abused by Tunisian authorities who had confiscated his products and demanded a bribe for their release. Even when Bouazizi had gone to the government headquarters to retrieve his products, the governor refused to meet him. This act by the young Tunisian mobilized the entire Arab world and protests emerged, culminating in the Arab Spring of 2011. 

Sources and further readings:

NBC News, 'US Air Force Member Who Set Fire to Israeli Embassy in DC Died' (26 February 2024) https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-air-force-member-set-fire-israeli-embassy-dc-died-rcna140455 accessed 28 February 2024.

Al Jazeera, 'US Airman Sets Self on Fire in Protest Over Israel's Genocide in Gaza' (26 February 2024) https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/26/us-airman-sets-self-on-fire-in-protest-over-israels-genocide-in-gaza accessed 28 February 2024.

ABC News, 'Man in Critical Condition After Setting Fire at Israeli Embassy' (27 February 2024) https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-critical-condition-after-setting-fire-israeli-embassy/story?id=107531773 accessed 28 February 2024.

Al Jazeera, 'Remembering Mohamed Bouazizi: His Death Triggered the Arab Spring' (17 December 2020) https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/12/17/remembering-mohamed-bouazizi-his-death-triggered-the-arab accessed 28 February 2024.

The New York Times, 'Arab Spring: A Fruit Vendor Who Started a Revolution' (16 December 2014) https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/16/us/arab-spring-a-fruit-vendor-who-started-a-revolution.html accessed 28 February 2024.