Self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell

Part of the Israel–Hamas war protests in the United States
Bushnell on fire in front of the Israeli embassy
Date	February 25, 2024 (2024-02-25)
Location	Washington, D.C., United States
Type	Self-immolation
Motive	Opposition to United States support for Israel in the Israel–Hamas war
Deaths	Aaron Bushnell

On February 25, 2024, Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old serviceman of the United States Air Force, committed an act of self-immolation outside the front gate of the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C. Immediately prior to the act, Bushnell said on a live stream that he was protesting "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] As he burned, Bushnell repeatedly shouted "Free Palestine!" while a police officer pointed a gun at him and local emergency services arrived on scene.^[2][3][4]

The act was live-streamed on Twitch.^[5] The Metropolitan Police Department responded to assist the United States Secret Service after Bushnell set himself on fire, and he was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.^[6] D.C. police confirmed his death the following day.^[7] Bushnell's act was the second self-immolation protesting the United States' support for Israel in the Israel–Hamas war at an Israeli diplomatic station in the United States; another protestor set themself on fire at the country's Atlanta consulate in December 2023.^[2] In reaction to the incident, the Pentagon responded in a press conference that "our support for Israel's inherent right to defend itself is ironclad".^[8]

Background

Bushnell grew up in Orleans, Massachusetts, in a Community of Jesus compound.^[9] He started his career with the United States Air Force (USAF) in May 2020, having done Basic & Technical Training. He was trained as a Client Systems Technician, having been educated in cybersecurity. He later worked as a USAF DevOps engineer in San Antonio, Texas, and was pursuing an undergraduate degree in software engineering from Southern New Hampshire University.^[6][3]

Bushnell is not the first person in the US to use self-immolation to protest against Israel over the Palestinian humanitarian crisis.^[10] On December 1, 2023, an individual, whose identity was not revealed by Atlanta authorities, protested via self-immolation outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, Georgia, which resulted in the protester having critical injuries.^[11]

Event

Bushnell created a will before self-immolating, which left instructions including that his cat be left with a neighbor after his death.^[14] He sent a message to media outlets before his planned self-immolation, where he wrote "Today, I am planning to engage in an extreme act of protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people".^[3]

On February 25, 2024, at approximately 12:58 p.m. local time,^[3] Bushnell, dressed in military fatigues,^[13] approached the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., intending to immolate himself as an act of protest against the Israel–Hamas war. He had also created a Twitch account^[3] under the name "LillyAnarKitty" with a Palestinian flag as his profile banner with the caption "Free Palestine".^[15][16][17] While live-streaming, he walked towards the embassy and said,

I am an active duty member of the United States Air Force. And I will no longer be complicit to 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 colonizers—it's not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.^[18][19][3]

Outside the embassy, Bushnell placed his camera down, positioned himself in front of the gates,^[20] and poured a flammable liquid over himself. A security officer approached Bushnell, asking if he needed help, but was ignored.^[3]

After igniting himself, Bushnell repeatedly shouted "Free Palestine!" as he was burning, and eventually collapsed to the ground.^{[3][4][21][22]} The security officer radioed in for assistance. A police officer approached the scene, aimed a gun at Bushnell off-camera and ordered him to "get on the ground" multiple times, while another officer yelled "I don't need guns, I need fire extinguishers".^[12] Multiple officers responded to the scene and used fire extinguishers on Bushnell. He was transported to a local hospital by the DC Fire & EMS, where he later died from his burn injuries at the age of 25.^[23]

Investigation

The Secret Service, Metropolitan Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced they would investigate the incident.^[3] The Metropolitan Police refused to confirm the authenticity of the livestream, and the US Air Force cited family notification policies while refusing to speak initially on the situation. A bomb disposal unit was dispatched to investigate concerns of a suspicious vehicle that could have been connected to Bushnell. The area was later declared safe after nothing hazardous was discovered.^[24]

A public incident report given to reporters by the Metropolitan Police Department states that Bushnell was "exhibiting signs of mental distress" — namely that he had "doused himself with an unidentified liquid and set himself on fire" — before the Secret Service could reach him.^[25] A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy reported that no staff members were injured in the incident.^[26][27]

Reactions

Within the United States

When responding to the question by the Associated Press on whether "Bushnell's self-immolation might indicate that there is a deeper issue about the US military personnel being concerned about how weapons and support for Israel has been used in Gaza", Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick S. Ryder made the following statement,^{[undue weight? – discuss]}

From the Department of Defense standpoint, since Hamas's brutal attacks on October 7, we've been focused on the four key areas that the Secretary set out from the onset. That's protecting U.S. forces and citizens in the region, supporting Israel's inherent right to defend itself from terrorist attacks, working closely with Israel to support and secure the release of hostages from Hamas, and ensuring that the crisis - the conflict between Hamas and Israel doesn't escalate into a broader regional conflict.

And so those objectives are what continue to inform our approach to the situation in the Middle East, and as we've talked about before, while our support for Israel's inherent right to defend itself is ironclad, we've also continued to actively communicate our expectations that Israel take civilian safety and humanitarian assistance into account into their operations.

You see that incorporated into every conversation the Secretary has with his counterpart in Israel, as well as other U.S. officials. And we expect them to continue to adhere to the law of armed conflict and international humanitarian law. We'll continue to do that.^{[28][8][29][undue weight? – discuss]}

Following his self-immolation, Bushnell's actions were praised by activists such as Aya Hijazi and Dyab Abou Jahjah, as well as United States Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent candidate Cornel West, all of whom paid tribute following his death. Senator Bernie Sanders stated that, "It's obviously a terrible tragedy, but I think it speaks to the depths of despair that so many people are feeling now about the horrific humanitarian disaster taking place in Gaza, and I share those deep concerns."^[30] While some on social media viewed his act as heroic and sacrificial, others considered Bushnell to have resorted to extreme measures by ending his own life.^[31]

On February 26, a vigil in his memory was held in front of the Israeli embassy. It was attended by 100 people.^[32] Additional vigils were held in other American cities, some organized by the anti-war group Code Pink.^[33]

International

Hamas praised the act and expressed "heartfelt condolences" to the friends and family of Bushnell, announcing in a statement to Telegram that "he immortalised his name as a defender of human values and the oppression of the suffering Palestinian people because of the American administration and its unjust policies" while describing him as a "heroic pilot".^[34][13] The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine released a statement honoring Bushnell, describing the act as "the highest sacrifice".^[35]

See also

• List of political self-immolations

References