By Selina Riachi | Staff Writer
On February 25, 2024, U.S. airman Aaron Bushnell set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C to protest the Israeli war on Gaza and died a few hours after his self-immolation.
Before lighting himself on fire, Bushnell posted a Twitch link on Facebook that said:
Many of us like to ask ourselves, “What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?”
The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now.
He also emailed several websites to alert them of his “highly disturbing” final act. “Today, I am planning to engage in an extreme act of protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people,” the email read.
Shortly before 1 PM, he walked up to the embassy in uniform and began his livestream on Twitch, stating “I will no longer be complicit in 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.” He then placed his phone on the ground, doused himself in flammable liquid, and shouted “Free Palestine” while lighting himself.
A law-enforcement officer intervened and asked “Can I help you sir?”, but at this point, Bushnell was engulfed in flames repeatedly screaming “Free Palestine”. He was yelled at to get down on the ground and a second officer called for fire extinguishers. The fire was put out, but Bushnell succumbed to his severe injuries and died seven hours later at 10:06 PM.
Who was Aaron Bushnell?
Bushnell was a 25-year-old from Texas who was a cyber defense operations specialist with the 531st Intelligence Support Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio. He has served on active duty since May 2020.
It has been reported by Susan Wilkins that Bushnell was raised in a religious compound called the Community of Jesus in Orleans, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. She has stated that he was still a member until 2005, the year she left the community, and that she has heard that he eventually left the group. Former students claimed that the Community of Jesus was a “charismatic sect” that created an environment of control, intimidation, and humiliation that fostered and inflicted enduring harms on its students.” They have also come forward alleging abuse and a rigid social structure. They have described the years after leaving the group as challenging, with Wilkins stating that it is common for members to join the military, transitioning from “one high-control group to another high-control group.”
Bushnell moved to Ohio in early 2024 to transition out of the military. Levi Pierpont, a man he met in basic training in 2020 when they were still excited about joining the military, reported that George Floyd’s killing by police led to Bushnell questioning the military. He began researching the history of the U.S. and took a stand against all state-sanctioned violence. While he was still stationed, he was attending events for a socialist organization and delivering food to people on the street. In 2024, he became more open about his objections to the military. Bushnell also planned to find a job that allowed him to support himself while engaging in political activism. On his LinkedIn page, Bushnell wrote that he was looking to “transition out of the US Air Force into software engineering.”
Bushnell identified as an anarchist but has never been known to report anything violent or self-sacrificial to his friends. Lupe Barboza, a woman he bonded with over politics, mentioned that “He was outraged, and he knew that no one who is in charge is listening to the protesters out there every week.” She stated that “he knows that he has privilege as a White man and a member of the military.” He and his friends shared distaste for the U.S. role in the Israel-Gaza conflict and Bushnell said that “it’s U.S. soldiers participating in the killings”, but he never indicated what he would do in Washington. Hours before his self-immolation, he texted a friend “I hope you’ll understand. I love you,” and wrote, “This doesn’t even make sense, but I feel like I’m going to miss you.” He also sent the friend a copy of his will and a fridge full of root beers and gave his cat to his neighbor.
Bushnell’s suicidal protest won him praise among pro-Palestinian activists, but others were devastated at how extreme his action was. Many, including some of his closest friends, asked how a young man could take his life so suddenly. Col. Celina Noyes, the Commander, 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, said: “When a tragedy like this occurs, every member of the Air Force feels it. We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Senior Airman Bushnell.”
Resources:
https://www.news18.com/world/us-soldier-sets-himself-on-fire-in-front-of-israeli-embassy-in-washington-to-protest-gaza-war-8792901.html
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/man-sets-himself-fire-outside-israeli-embassy-washington-2024-02-25/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/02/25/dc-israeli-embassy-man-fire/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/26/israel-us-embassy-man-fire-air-force/20c0a736-d4a9-11ee-82ad-c2391b06a8f5_story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/02/26/israeli-embassy-airman-fire-death-gaza/
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/aaron-bushnell-self-immolation-what-we-know.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/02/25/dc-israeli-embassy-man-fire/